


The Half-Blood Pokemorph

by HillianLink



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-03 11:31:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 81,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1743158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HillianLink/pseuds/HillianLink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A teen with a troubled past is finally freed from his own hell created by an illegal company, but now he has to deal with being a Pokemorph in a world where they are seen as freaks of nature, despised by all. So, what's the most reasonable solution? Live in a house hidden in the woods populated by five other morphs. Fuck it, why not?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Allow me to open this by saying that this is also on FFnet, and I am merely putting it, along with all of my other stories, here, so that I will have a back up plan, should the jackass group known as Critics United attack me, as I don't completely abide by the sites rules, and these self appointed admins have been targeting people a lot recently. Anyway, this chapter isn't really a first chapter, but merely a prologue. So, let's go.

* * *

**Prologue**

Five years. Five Arceus-damned years. I've been in this horrid stasis tank, floating in a state of semi-consciousness. Five motherfucking years since this bullshit excuse for an organization destroyed my life and kidnapped me, all because I have some rare disease, a disease known as Morphism. Morphism is a disease with unknown origins that turns the infected into a hybrid of a Pokemon and a human. I contracted it five years ago, and my life has been hell since. The only reason that I haven't completely turned is the strange chemicals in this tank. The "scientists" think that I'm in a coma, but the truth is that I'm still awake, and this has made my life even worse. I can hear and feel, but I can't move or speak. Every twelve hours they pump me full of the nutrients that are vital for life, and give me large electric shocks, shocks painful enough to make me almost black out, but they are used to keep my muscle mass up. They keep saying that they are going to have me do physical tests once they are done sticking needles in my damn in my body. My name is Izaak and, according to these "scientists", I am part Absol.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, intro done. So, let's continue shall we?


	2. My Departure: Coming out of a Semi-coma Sucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is where the legitimate story really starts. I know it is still a short chapter, but hopefully it (along with the rest of the story) doesn't disappoint. I also feel that I should clarify that anything italicized is a thought. And seeing as I'm pretty sure that i didn't put this in the first chapter, I don't own Pokemon, any companies/products mentioned in the story, or any music in the story. So, if no-one objects, here is the second chapter.

* * *

** My Departure: Coming out of a Semi-coma Sucks **

I woke up to see the green stasis chemicals draining from the tank through four small holes in the floor. The door opened and I fell out onto the floor, coughing, and my senses were immediately assaulted by the sterile smell of a hospital and the blaring of an alarm outside of the room. I looked up, but immediately closed my eyes as they were painfully assaulted by large fluorescent lights.

"You, stand up," A voice with a Russian accent yelled, "and open them slowly; they need to adjust to the light."

I obeyed and stood up, clad only in a pair of shorts, and slowly opened my eyes, this time causing very little pain. A bald, bearded man a few inches shorter than myself was standing in front of me. He was wearing hospital scrubs under an unbuttoned lab coat.

"Okay, just please stop yelling." I said, my voice croaky and scratchy from lack of use.

"I wasn't yelling," the man said, quieter this time, "your ears just need to adjust to non-muffled sounds now."

"Then why aren't the alarms hurting like hell?" I asked.

"No speakers in here, just in the hall." The man replied, "Now hurry, and put these on."

He reached into a back backpack on the floor next to him and pulled out a pair of black combat boots, black jeans, and a black t-shirt. He gave them to me and began speaking as I got dressed.

"I'm part of a Pokemorph liberation group based out of Kanto." He began, "We received news of what happened to you and your family and we made a promise to help you. I infiltrated this organization two years ago and have since been working my way through the ranks to get to this facility, where I could help you."

He stopped talking as we heard the sound of blowtorches starting up on the other side of the door.

"Shit, we have less time than I had hoped." The man said, running his hand over his bald head, "Okay, there's a vent just above the tank that you should be able to fit through, just climb on the tank to reach it. When you get out immediately leave the area and begin heading north-west until your reach Snowpoint city, that's the only city in Sinnoh that is accepting of morphs. From there I advise getting some money and getting on the first flight possible out of here."

"Thank you." I said, standing up, "If you don't mind me asking, why you joined this group?"

"Let's just leave it at I have personal ties in it."He said. He picked the backpack up off of the floor and handed it to me, saying, "Here, this has some food and all of your personal items that were confiscated from you when you got here."

I nodded and took it and slung it onto my back. I climbed onto the tank and saw the vent. I kicked it open and took the bag off and put it in first.

"Wait I almost forgot." The man yelled, getting my attention, "Now that you aren't in the stasis chemicals the transformation will happen at a faster rate than it normally would have."

I nodded in response and climbed it the vent with the bag just as the door fell off its hinges and multiple voices began yelling.

* * *

 

Outside I was overwhelmed by hundreds of smells. I just stood there for a minute, taking it all in, until I heard a lot of shouting and banging from the other end of the vent. I quickly took off running away from the base, not wanting to be caught. I ran for a few minutes before deciding I was far enough away from the building and came to a stop, panting lightly.

_Fuck, being in that tank made me so out of shape._

I took the backpack off of my back and sat it on the ground. I unzipped it and reached into it, pulling out the first thing I grabbed. In my hand was a bronze compass, still in good condition.

_Damn, I haven't used one of these since I was five or six._

I put it in my pocket and reached back into the bag. I grabbed something that felt like it was made of cloth and pulled it out, revealing a plain black jacket.

_Why the hell would I need this, it's the middle of August._

I shrugged and put the jacket back in the bag, grabbing a small rectangular item. I took it out and saw that it was my IPhone 5, with my earbuds still wrapped around it. I hit the power button, taking it off standby. I unlocked it and saw the familiar image of the Deathbat as the wallpaper. I returned the phone to standby and put it in pocket opposite the compass. I reached back into the bag and pulled out the charger for my phone. I put that in the pocket with the compass and checked the bag for anything else. I found two ten dollar bills, with a sticky note on the back that read: You need this more than I do, and besides, you never know when it'll come in handy –Sergei.

_Wow that's nice of him. If I ever see him gain I'll need to thank him again._

I put the money in my pocket with my phone and took the compass out. I found which way north-west was and put the compass in the bag. I then zipped the bag up, threw it over my shoulder, and started walking.

I had walked for what felt like a few hours when I realized that I had no idea time it was. I took my phone out of my pocket and checked the time: 7 p.m. on Friday, August 10.

_Damn, it'll be getting dark soon. I should probably find somewhere to sleep for the night_

I continued walking, now keeping an eye out for any clearing or comfortable tree to sleep. But as the day gave way to night I felt more energized than tired.

_Weird, I thought that only Umbreon got more energized at night. Maybe it's a trait for all dark types, but Umbreon just feel it more._

I finally got tired at about three in the morning, which just so happened to be at about the time that I found a clearing with a pond in it. I knelt at the edge of the water and took cupped my hands under the surface, collecting water. As I drank the water I could feel how dry my throat had become, so I took three more large drinks before finally stopping. I went over to a tree and sat down at it, my back leaning on it. I took off my bag and unzipped it, taking out the jacket. I balled up the jacket and put it behind my head as a pillow. Looking down at my left arm, I saw a patch of white fur, no bigger than a golf ball, on my elbow.

_This little patch of fur has caused so much damn trouble for recently._

I fell into a dreamless sleep with that thought in my head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how does everyone think it went? Personally, I think it was pretty good.


	3. I Fucking Hate Dogs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another update, and this time it is much longer. Before it stars though, i would like to say a few things. First off, if you couldn't guess by now italicized words are thoughts. Second, I'm not sure if I said it already but I don't own any of the music I put in here (I'm reiterating this because I'm going to start putting music in my chapters, with this being the first one). Anyway, onto the chapter.

* * *

** I Fucking Hate Dogs **

I shot up, waking myself while coughing harshly and tasting blood. _Damn, w_ _hy is my throat so dry?_ I quickly crawled over to the edge of the pond and cupped my hands together under the water and quickly drank the collected water. After coughing a few more times I looked down at the water and was shocked to see that the whole left side of my face was covered in ice white Absol fur.

"Holy shit." I said, running my hand over the fur, "I know he said that I would change faster, but this seems like a little too extreme."

I quickly stripped down and saw that the rest of my left side followed suite with my head.

Sighing, I said, "Fuck it, nothing I can do about it." Looking at the pond, I said, "Hell, might as well bathe while I'm here."

I sat my clothes a few feet away from the pond and got in the water.  _Arceus, my life's been fucking weird lately._ When I felt that I had done all possible when it came to cleaning myself I got out and put my clothes back on. I grabbed the backpack and threw it onto my shoulder, then started walking in the same direction I was yesterday. After about twenty minutes or so I got the burning feeling on the back of my neck that I was being watched.

"Um, hello." I said cautiously, "Is someone there?"

I was answered by a loud growl that seemed to resonate from the trees themselves.  _That doesn't sound very good._  I looked around for a weapon and saw a stick about four feet long and an inch thick on the ground. I quickly slid the backpack off my back and bent down and picked the stick up, but before I could stand back up ten or twelve Mightyena leapt out of the trees and surrounded me.

"This just got interesting." I said, straightening up, "So, who's first?"

As soon as the words came from my mouth one of the Mightyena leapt at me, teeth bared. I readied myself and as soon as the wolf got within my reach I struck out, hitting it directly in its side, sending it flying to the left into a tree, where it fell to the ground, unconscious. Two more quickly replaced the previous one, both of them leaping at me simultaneously. I hit one with a rising slash, sending it flying over my shoulder, but my slight pride was short lived as I felt a sharp pain in my right arm causing me to drop my stick. I looked at my arm and saw the other Mightyena with my arm in the vice-like grip of its jaws with its canine teeth digging into my flesh. I tried using my other hand to pry its jaws open to no avail, so I quickly decided to elbow drop. As I hit the ground the Mightyena let out a gasp as I knocked its breath out, causing it to release my arm and a small cracking sound as its right canine broke off in my arm. I quickly rolled onto my front and leapt up.  _I can't take another hit like that or I could be done for._ Another pair quickly came at me, one jumping at me while the other dashed towards me. As I turned towards the one jumping I felt a sharp, stinging pain as the second one made contact with my left side, but I managed to bring my leg up and deliver a downward kick to the other one. As my leg made contact with the wolf's back a sickening crack resonated through the trees as I broke its spine, killing it on impact. Silence fell over the forest. The Mightyena stopped growling and all ambient noise ceased as the black and gray body fell to the ground, limp. The Mightyena that bit my quickly dashed over to the body and began nosing it, whimpering quietly. After a few seconds it raised its head towards the sky and let out a long howl. When the wolf finished it looked at me, tears in its eyes, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for it. It bent down to its fallen comrade and gripped its scruff in its teeth and began slowly dragging the body back away from me. As it reentered the bushes the other Mightyena slowly followed it, growling quietly, until it was just me and one of the Mightyena standing there, looking at each other, sorrow in its eyes and disbelief at what I had just done in mine. The wolf bowed its head to me and slowly backed away, following the others. I spent a few minutes just standing there in the silence that had recently filled the forest until I felt a dull pain in my side. Remembering the hit I took, I looked down and saw two long gashes in my side. I took off my now damaged shirt and saw that they were each at least six inches long and were spilling blood, staining my white fur red. I tied my shirt around my torso as a makeshift bandage. I picked up the bag again and resumed walking, limping slightly. I was only able to walk for about twenty minutes before collapsing against a tree. _Fucking great. I just get out of that hell and all I've done is kill a Mightyena and probably die myself. Fuck I'm useless._ I sighed and closed my eyes, waiting for myself to slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Zach 

"Don't go too deep in!" My mother yelled after me as I began walking towards the edge of the woods.

"Alright!" I yelled back.

My family and I decided to do something as a family today since my father was taking a vacation from work, so my parents had decided to go on a picnic. The field we are in is mostly surrounded by woods, but there was a small hill on the far side with a small two-lane road on the other side of it, just far enough away to where we couldn't hear the cars passing. As I got closer to the trees I saw some white fur caught on a branch of a bush standing out from the green of the plants. I kept walking towards the woods, slightly cautiously now, and saw more fur, along some blood droplets leading away from it, deeper into the forest. I followed the blood to base of large tree, where I heard some slightly labored breathing. Coming around the base of a tree I saw a guy laying against a tree, his left side covered in white fur and blood, with his shirt tied, covered in dried blood, around his torso and blood seeping from under it. His eyes were closed so I began moving closer to him. I got to about a few feet away from him when his eyes shot open, freezing me in my tracks.

"So," he said, "Are you gonna try to kill me too?"

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak 

"Because I'm right here," I said, "halfway there already."

The kid standing in front of me looked to be about fourteen or fifteen. He looked fairly skinny, with short spiky brown hair, and he was wearing clothes similar to mine. And his eyes are as wide as a deer's in headlights. He started backing up slowly, his hands held up in defense.

"C'mon kid," I said, propping myself up, "it was a joke, lighten up."

He faltered momentarily then continued backing away, slightly faster.

"Seriously kid," I said, "what's your issue? I'm not going to bite you or anything, as if I could without my side pouring blood again."

At this he stopped backing away and lowered his hands. He moved back towards me slightly, so I tried to completely sit up, but as I moved I upset my wounds, causing more blood to come out and sharp daggers of pain to stab up my side. I dropped back down to the ground with a gasp of pain, and the kid came over to me, with a look of concern in his eyes. He dropped to his knees next to me and moved my shirt slightly, causing me to wince in pain again.

"Shit, those look pretty bad."He said. Standing up, he said, "Wait here."

"Whatever kid, it's not like I'm really able to move anyway." I said as he went back the way he came.

The kid returned a few minutes later holding a medium sized red plastic box with a large white cross on it.

"Good," he said, coming back over to me, "you didn't leave."

"Well, as I said I literally can't go anywhere." I said as he knelt next me and opened the box, "So, um, what exactly are you doing?"

"You're hurt, I'm helping." He said, "Well, to some extent." He pulled out a small pill bottle and shook out a few and handed them to me, saying, "Here, take these." I looked at him cautiously and he said, "Just take them, they're painkillers."

_Fuck it, doubt it could hurt._ I took the pills from him and downed them and almost immediately felt the pain in my side numbing. The kid untied my shirt and sat it next to him, and more blood came from my wounds. He took a small bottle from the box and unscrewed it.

"Okay," he said, "This may hurt some, put the drugs should help."

He took out a small washcloth from the box and dripped some of the liquid onto it. He pushed the cloth to my wounds and I had to bite down on my tongue to keep myself from yelling out, but a few pained tears came to my eyes.

"Sorry about that." he said, closing the bottle and putting it and the cloth back in the box. He then took out a roll of bandages and wrapped some around me, saying, "This is as much as I can do for you, seeing as I don't have the proper supplies or the proper experience."

Looking at the bandage job he did, I said, "Damn, thanks kid."

I picked up the torn shirt and, deciding it was too torn to effectively wear anymore, I threw it away into the bushes.

"No problem." The kid said as he closed the box, "You didn't look like you would last long without some form of medical help."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I said, chuckling.

Turning to me, the kid said, "Y'know, you look like you're about to collapse. When was the last time you ate?"

I mockingly put my chin in my hand and said, "Let's see, today is Saturday, so I guess it would be at least five years ago."

The kid laughed lightly and said, "You're joking, right?"

I stared at him with a straight face and said, "Kid, I just almost died, do you think that I would be cracking jokes right now?"

"Wait, you were being serious?" He said. I nodded and he grabbed the box and got up, saying, "Wait here, I'll be right back."

As he left I said, "Kid, I didn't leave last time and I'm barely in any better condition than earlier, so trust me, I'm not moving."

He returned barely a minute later, this time holding a sandwich and a bottle of water. He dropped them both in my lap and sat down across from me and crossed his legs.

I just sat there for a few minutes, looking from the food then to him and back again until he said, "You can eat it, I didn't poison it or anything."

I picked up the sandwich and took a small bite from it. As soon as I swallowed the food I realized just how hungry I was and I quickly finished it within a few more bites, and then drained the water when I was done. I sat the empty bottle on the ground and saw that the kid was just sitting there in silence.

I stuck my hand out to him and said, "I don't believe that we got a proper introduction. I'm Izaak."

He shook my hand and said, "Zach."

"So Zach," I began, "not that I'm not grateful or anything but I've got to ask. How exactly were you able to help me? I mean, most people would have flipped out if they saw someone like me covered in blood in the forest and they would have called the cops immediately. And then there's also the fact that you just happened to have a first aid kit with hospital grade painkillers in it with you."

"Well, my mother's a vet and my father's a doctor, so they decided to teach me what to do and how to react if something like a bad injury happens and they can't help." He said, "And the first aid kit is just something that my parents like to always have around just in case."

"Well, you should thank them for me," I said, "because if it weren't for that I'd probably still be bleeding to death here."

Zach opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a women's voice yelling out, "Zach, it's time to eat!"

"Well, that sounds like my mom." He said, standing up, "It was nice meeting you Izaak."

"Yeah," I replied, "Nice meeting you too. And thanks for keeping me from dying, at least for a little bit."

He nodded to me and then retreated back the way he came. When he had been gone for a few minutes I stood up again, feeling slightly rejuvenated.  _I guess it's amazing what a little food and some painkillers can do._ I grabbed the water bottle, flung it into the bushes with my shirt, made sure that my bag wouldn't fall off my shoulder, and continued walking.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Zach 

When I got back to where we were set up at my mother was digging through the cooler with my dad sitting next to her while my three year old sister was playing behind them.

"Weird," my mom said, "I could have sworn that I packed more sandwiches than this."

"Oh, it doesn't matter," my dad said, "it's not like we would eat too much anyway."

My sister walked up behind my dad, her hands cupped in front of her. She raised her hands up above my dad's head and opened them, releasing a large amount of dirt into his hair. He leapt up, his hands shooting to his hair.

"Agh," he said, knocking the dirt off of his head, "Susie, why did you do that?"

Instead of answering him, my sister just looked up at him, a large smile plastered on her face. Her eyes shifted from my dad to behind me, where she raised her hand and pointed to.

"Doggy." She said, keeping her eyes transfixed behind me.

We all spun around to see a large Houndoom slowly pacing towards us. We all froze as it got within a few feet of us. It slowly raised its nose to the sky and began sniffing the air.

"Hold on," my dad said, "I think it may just be hungry. Honey, give me a sandwich."

My mother looked at him as if he was crazy, but complied. He took the sandwich and slowly began walking towards the Houndoom. When he was only about a foot from the Pokemon he threw the sandwich on the ground at its feet. It bent its neck and sniffed the food cautiously.

"See, there's nothing to be worried about." My dad said as he straightened up from the slight crouch he was in.

The Houndoom continued sniffing the sandwich until it suddenly picked it up, tossed it high into the air, and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower at it, burning it to a crisp. My dad dashed back to my mother as she picked up my sister and I moved back a few steps. The Houndoom began launching bursts of fire at the ground, lighting the grass and creating a large circle of high fire surrounding us and it. The four of us bunched together in the center of the ring and I could feel my parents shaking. The Houndoom resumed slowly stalking towards us.

"It looks like we only have one thing to do now." My father said.

"Help!" My mother yelled as the dog rushed towards us.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak 

I had been walking for a few minutes when I heard a loud scream coming from behind me.  _Shit, that doesn't sound good._  I dropped the backpack off of my shoulder and did a one-eighty, before turning back the way I came. As I got closer to the source of the scream I could hear flames crackling and smell burnt plants. As I came to the point where the trees gave way to a field I could see a large circle of fire in the center of the clearing. I took off running at it and leaped into the inferno.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Zach 

We began slowly backing away from the Houndoom, but it followed us with each step. As I felt my backs up against the flames the Houndoom dropped down slightly, preparing to leap at us. The Houndoom leapt, but as soon as its feet left the ground a figure flew through the air and collided with the Pokemon, sending the Houndoom flying to the right and the figure to come to a sliding stop in front of us. As the figure straightened up I recognized who it was.

"Izaak!" I yelled, surprised.

"Zach, get out of here." He calmly said, his voice somehow carrying over the crackling of the flames.

My parents immediately ran through the flames behind us, my sister still in my mother's arms, but I stood my ground.

"No Izaak, let me help." I said, "You're in no condition to be fighting."

He turned to me and fixed me with a hard stare and said, "Yeah, and that's my problem. Now go." I just stood there, staring, so he said, "That wasn't a suggestion, it was an order."

He then placed his foot on my chest and pushed me back through the fire.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak 

"Well then," I said, turning back to the Houndoom, "now that he's gone, let's kick this off."

I pulled out my phone, put my earbuds in and put on  _Bonfire_ by Knife Party. I dropped my phone back into my pocket and readied myself, my hands in fists in front of me. The Houndoom bared its teeth in a snarl and charged at me. I quickly sidestepped its attack and stuck my foot out, causing it to trip and land on its back. It quickly flipped back onto its feet and began firing Flamethrower after Flamethrower at me. I dodged one after another until I landed awkwardly and lost my balance, causing a large burst of fire to hit me in the chest. As the blast made contact I staggered and could feel the air getting knocked from my lungs by the force of the blast, but I stayed on my feet. The Houndoom quickly charged at me again and tackled me to the ground, its jaws aimed at my throat. I stuck my arm out towards the dog as I fell and managed to keep it away from my neck. It kept snapping at my neck, trying to deal the killing blow, and I was faintly aware of its hind legs clawing into my legs and shredding my jeans to pieces. I looked around and saw a large stick a few feet away from me. I quickly pushed the Houndoom off of me and dashed towards the stick. As soon as I reached the stick I grabbed it, but I collapsed onto my stomach as the Houndoom leapt onto my back and started clawing my back to shreds. I rolled over, knocking the air out of the Pokemon on my back. I shot up, stick still in hand, and stumbled away a few feet. I whipped around and saw the Houndoom, already back on its feet, and it began charging at me. I sidestepped the charge and swung the stick at the attacking hellhound. The stick collided with the back of the Houndoom's head, creating a resounding crack as its horns shattered into small bits. The Houndoom hit the ground and whirled around to face me, but froze as it saw the white chips on the ground. We both stared at each other, the Houndoom no longer showing hostility in its eyes, but submission.

"Just… Just go away," I panted, worn out, "Please, just leave and don't come back."

The Houndoom nodded and began walking back towards the trees, and as it left the fire slowly began disappearing as well.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Zach 

I pushed the glowing red "record" button on my camera and shut it as I heard the sirens approaching.

"Who was that?" My mom asked, before coughing slightly from the smoke.

"I don't know." My dad said, "Zach, you said some name when he tackled that Houndoom, didn't you? Did you know that guy?"

I froze for a second and tried to come up with an excuse, but I decided to just tell them the truth.

"Yes." I said, "His name is Izaak, and I helped him recently." As the sirens got closer I quickly said, "Please don't tell anyone about him, I'll explain more when we get home."

"A-alright." My mom said, "But what should we tell the cops?"

I thought for a second and said, "I guess we just tell them that a stranger leaped in and helped us."

I pocketed my camera just as the cop cars and fire trucks began pulling up.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak 

I continued limping through the forest, away from the sirens. _I'm fucked, I already know that._ I was badly burnt, covered in cuts, and I had re-opened the wounds from the Mightyena attack and they were currently bleeding, my fur was singed and matted with blood and the rest of my body was dripping with crimson. The only possessions I had were my phone and its charger, my earbuds, the two ten dollar bills, the compass, my combat boots, and my jeans, which were torn to shreds from my knees down. The adrenaline and painkillers were wearing off now and I was regaining feeling in my body, and I could barely keep myself from collapsing from the severe pain. By the time that I could no longer hear the sirens the sun had set and it looked to be midnight by the position of the moon. I was completely worn out, so I used the last of my strength to climb a tree and sit on a branch with my back to the trunk.

"Fuck." I gasped out, my throat dry from smoke inhalation and lack of water.

I shut my eyes and waited for either death or sleep, whichever came first.

* * *

"Hey, you, up there!" I heard a female voice say.

I cracked an eye open slightly and saw that it was daytime.

"Hey, can you hear me!" The voice yelled again.

I groaned and said, "Yeah. So, um, am I dead yet?"

"I don't know," the voice yelled back, "do you wanna be?"

"Well," I said, "It'd probably be less painful than living right now, so I'm starting to sway to yes."

"Well, how about you come down here and introduce yourself and we can see if that can be changed." She said.

I sighed and said, "If you say so."

I shifted my body to where my legs were dangling off of the branch, each minute movement sending daggers of numb pain up my legs, and dropped down. I tried to land on my feet, but my legs collapsed under my weight and I started falling, but was stopped by a pair of arms wrapping around me and almost colliding with their owner.

"Don't worry, I've got you." The girl said, as she released me and I straightened up and faced her.

She was a beautiful Glaceon-morph and was wearing black jeans, a zipped-up gray jacket, and a pair of black sneakers. I looked at her jacket again and saw some blood on her sleeves and torso from catching me.

She looked down at her jacket and then at me and said, "Holy shit, dude, what happened to you?"

I chuckled and said, "It's a long story, but let me just say that I think I'm more of a cat person now."

"Here," she said, unzipping her jacket, revealing a white t-shirt that looked to be hugging her torso, "put this on."

She handed me the jacket and I slipped it on and put the hood up.

"Now c'mon, let's get you to the house and path you up." She said, slipping my arm around her neck to help support me.

We slowly started walking, neither of us speaking.

"So," I said, breaking the silence, "I never caught your name."

"Azura." She said, panting lightly, "And you?"

"Izaak." I said.

"Nice to meet you," Azura said, "although these aren't the circumstances I normally meet people under."

"Yeah, well you're the second person recently I've met like this." I said, chuckling dryly.

As the sun reached its peak in the middle of the sky a large stone wall came into view through the trees with a flat roof barely visible just above it. We went around the wall and entered through a small side gate. The building in front of me was a large two story rectangular mansion and I could see a large ornate metal double gate at the actual front of the house.

"What is this place?" I asked, in slight awe.

"This," Azura said, a smile on her face, "is what we call Casa de Pokemorph."

We entered the house through a small back door and entered into a hallway.

"Here," I said, removing my arm from her shoulder, "I can walk slightly if I use the wall for support."

She nodded and said, "C'mon, you can wait in the living room with Midnight and Markus while I go and try to find some fresh bandages for you."

She went to the end of the hall, but stopped and turned around when she saw that I had fallen behind.

"C'mon." She said, "They don't bite."

"I didn't think that they did," I said, slowly moving down the hall, "but you have to remember that I'm sore as hell."

I came to the end of the hallway and stepped into the living room and saw a Lucario-morph and an Espeon-morph sitting on a couch. Silence fell on the room as I entered, the only sound being the flat screen TV hung up on the wall in front of the couch, as the two sitting on the couch looked at my injuries.

Azura broke the silence by clearing her throat and saying, "So, do you guys know if Kano is still here?"

"Um, no," the Espeon said, coming back to reality, "no, he left a few minutes after you went out."

Azura sighed and said, "Damn it, I was hoping he was still here. Looks like I have to go hunting for the bandages." She turned to me and said, "I guess you can just wait in here while I go look for them."

I nodded as she left the room through a double door in the wall behind the couch. As she left the room was plunged back into silence, so I took this chance to take a look around the room. The couch that was currently occupied by the two morphs was also accompanied by a coffee table in front of it and an armchair at each end of the couch, sat at an angle to face the TV.

"So, um," the Lucario said, breaking the silence, "I'm Markus and this is my girlfriend, Midnight."

He stuck his hand out and I shook it, saying, "Izaak."

Both Markus and Midnight were wearing black jeans, but while Markus was wearing a solid gray shirt Midnight was wearing a black Pierce the Veil shirt.

Apparently I had been staring, because my head was hit by a pillow followed by Midnight saying, "Hey, fucktards, my eyes are up here."

I looked up and saw that Midnight had a scowl on her face while Markus looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"Sorry," I said calmly, trying to avoid another pillow, or worse, getting thrown at me, "it's not that, I was just looking at your shirt."

At this her expression changed to one of minor curiosity and she said, "Oh? What about it?"

"Well," I said, "I've only ever met two females who listen to real music, an one of them was my sister, so I always find it slightly interesting to meet one who hasn't been poisoned by garbage whiney boy bands and singers who can't get over themselves and their bullshit made up problems."

Midnight laughed and said, "Yeah, we tend to stay away from that bullshit, seeing as none of us like it."

At that moment Azura came back in, holding a roll of bandages.

"Sorry it took a little bit to find," she said, "but I forgot that Alice and Rell reorganized the medical supply closet. C'mon, let's go clean your wounds and wrap them up."

"Alright." I said, going over to her, "That would be nice."

"Have fun guys," Markus said to us as we left.

We closed the doors behind us and we were standing in a large foyer. To my left were two large double doors that I assumed led outside, across from me was another pair of doors identical to the ones we just left, and to my left was a large staircase leading upstairs.

"C'mon, the bathroom's upstairs." Azura said, grabbing my wrist and leading me upstairs.

At the top of the stairs I saw two sets of double doors about halfway down the hall two my left on either side of the hall. To my right I saw six doors, three on either side of the hall, each evenly space apart.

"C'mon." Azura said again, leading me down the right hall to the middle door on the right side.

She turned the knob and tried to open the door, but it didn't budge.

"Damn it." She said under her breath before knocking on the door violently.

"Hold on!" A voice yelled from inside, "I'm drying my fur!"

"We've sorta got a medical emergency here!" Azura yelled back.

The door opened slightly and a dripping wet Ninetails-morph head popped out. She saw me and her eyes got wide.

"Holy shit." She said. She looked at Azura and said, "Alright, just give me a second to get dressed."

The door closed again, but reopened a few seconds with the Ninetails standing there, now fully dressed.

"Sorry about that." She said before rushing past us and down the stairs.

I was about to ask who that was when Azura pulled me into the bathroom and locked the door behind us. The bathroom looked fairly normal, with a standard sized shower with glass walls instead of curtains, a sink/counter combo, and a toilet.

"Sit on the counter." Azura said.

I complied having no reason not to. Azura opened the doors on the counter and brought out a washcloth. She turned on the sink, wet the washcloth, and turned off the water. She took her jacket off of my body and threw it into the hamper next to the shower; she then took of my old bandages and threw them into the trashcan next to the sink.

"Wow, those look bad." She said, looking at my gashes.

I chuckled and said, "Yeah, and my legs and back are another story."

She reached to start cleaning my wounds, but I stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

She looked up at me with questioning eyes, so I said, "I can clean them myself, don't worry."

"A-alright," she said slightly reluctantly, but she handed me the cloth anyway, "Sorry, I'll just sit and wait."

She moved over and sat on the closed toilet lid, watching me. I began to clean the blood from the gashes, wincing from the minor pain with every touch.

"So," I said, trying to make conversation, "who was that Ninetails?"

"That was Alice," Azura replied, "I hadn't realized that she would be showering now, seeing as she normally does before nine."

"Ah." I said, "Well, we should probably apologize to her for interrupting her."

"I doubt it; she probably doesn't care too much." Azura said, "So, what's with the whole white fur thing?"

"What," I said, jokingly, "have you never seen a guy halfway through becoming an Absol?"

"Wait, you're going to be an Absol?" Azura asked. I nodded and she said, "That's so cool. When I was younger I always wanted an Absol." I laughed at her reaction and she quickly said, "Wait, is it mean to say that? I feel like it's some sort of racism to say that to you."

At this I laughed even harder and said, "No it's alright, you can say that."

Azura sighed and said, "Well if it makes you feel any less awkward, I also wanted an Umbreon when I was younger as well."

I laughed a little more and threw the washcloth into the hamper as I finished cleaning the gashes.

"Hey can you hand me the bandages?" I said.

"Sure." Azura replied, tossing me the bandages.

I caught them and began wrapping torso in them. As I was finishing up there was a knock at the door.

"Yeah?" Azura said, going over to the door.

"Hey," a voice said from the other side, "Alice asked me if I knew about the injured dude you brought here, is he in there with you?"

"Yeah," Azura said, unlocking the door, "we're just replacing his bandages."

The door opened and an Arcanine-morph entered. He came in and shut the door behind him.

He turned to me and said, "Hello, I'm Rell, the leader of this household."

He stuck out his hand and I shook it, saying, "I'm Izaak."

"So, um, what's with the fur and wounds?" He asked, "You look like you lost a fight against a Gallade."

I laughed and said, "The fur is because I'm currently halfway through becoming an Absol, and the wounds are because I discovered what it feels like to barely win a fight against a Houndoom and one a against multiple Mightyena."

"You did that shit without having any morph powers?" Rell asked. I nodded and he said, "Damn man, that's pretty bad-ass." He turned to Azura and said, "So, you wanna ask him the question?"

I looked at them, confused, but Azura just said, "Sure, if you want me to."

"Alright then," Rell said, "I'll leave you two to it." He turned to me and said, "It's nice to meet you, Izaak." He went to leave, but stopped as he turned the doorknob; he turned to Azura and said, "I almost forgot, it's your birthday today, so you get to choose what we have for dinner."

Azura nodded and said, "I don't really care what we have so long as Markus isn't allowed near it. We've already eaten enough cheese this month to feed a whole damn family for two months."

"You're right about that." Rell said before leaving and closing the door behind him.

"It's your birthday today?" I said, turning to Azura.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm eighteen today."

"Oh," I said awkwardly, "well, happy birthday."

"Thanks." She said, "It's nice to actually feel like I'm older than my sister again."

"Who's your sister?" I asked. Azura gave me a look that said "Who do you think" and I said, "Let me guess: Midnight."

"Yep," Azura said, "She's only seventeen. We're the only ones here that are legitimately related."

"Cool." I said, getting off of the counter. Remembering what Rell asked her, I said, "So, what was Rell talking about with asking me a question?"

"Oh, right." Azura said, "Well, if you haven't notice yet all of us that live here are Pokemorphs. Kano, Rell's father, had this place built years ago for his son when he became a morph so that he would have a place to live where he would be able to escape the racism that society has towards us. Then the rest of us all sort of found our way here and he offered us a place to live here, away from it all. So, the question is, do you want to join us and live here?"

"I-I don't know, I'll have to think about it." I said, "That's a fairly large proposition to ask me right now."

"Please." Azura said, tugging on my arm.

I looked at her and saw a pleading look in her eyes mixed with a hint of hopefulness.

"It'll be fun." She said, "And I'm sure you'll get along with the others."

I thought about it for a second and then said, "Well, I was told that I should head up to Snowpoint and get a flight to Kanto." The look in Azura's eyes was replaced with defeat and her ears drooped until I said, "But, this does seem pretty fun and much better than a gamble that I'll actually be able to get to Snowpoint, let alone Kanto, so sure, I'll stay."

"Yay!" Azura said before hugging me tightly.

_Damn, she really wants me to stay._

"Uh, hey," I said, starting to feel some fresh pain from being squeezed, "I'm still hurt hear, that and I don't want to get blood on your white shirt."

She let go of me and said, "Oh, right, sorry. So, how about I give you a tour of the house?"

"Sure." I said as she opened the door and pulled me out by my wrist again.

_She is really fucking energetic when she isn't leading around someone who's bleeding all over her jacket. I really need to apologize to her for that._

"So," Azura said, "Down here we have the bedrooms. On this side is Alice's to our left and Markus's to our right. The other side is Rell's to the right, what we call the supply closet, which just has pretty much everything from medical supplies to random shit in it, in the middle, and Midnight's room to the left."

"What about yours?" I asked, concerned about where I would sleep as well.

"I just sleep on the couch in the living room." She said.

"Where will I sleep then?" I asked.

Azura seemed to think for a few seconds before replying, "Well, I guess we'll just alternate with the couch."

I nodded and she led me past the stairs to the other end of the hall, where we were between the two double door sets. Azura opened the doors to the left and we entered the room. The left wall had a few treadmills lining it, the right one a few punching bags hanging on chains from the ceiling, the back one just had large, full wall gym-like mirrors on it, and in the center was a large square boxing ring.

"Damn, it looks like you robbed a fucking YMCA." I said, "Well, minus the garbage theme song."

Azura laughed and said, "Yeah well, with this many people living in here and not having access to a real gym, we sorta have to."

"Can't you just go outside and do this stuff?" I asked.

"Normally, yes, but not in the winter. While I love the cold, the others aren't so fond of it." She replied, "That and the local Pokemon would probably be fairly pissed if we started using their trees as punching bags."

"Yeah, I guess." I said, "But what's with the ring?"

"Sometimes we like to have boxing matches," Azura replied, "and this is a safe place that we can do it."

We left the fitness room and reentered the hallway. Azura opened the other double door and we entered the room. In it was a couch, a few armchairs, and a pool table, where Markus, Rell, Alice, and Midnight were all playing.

Rell noticed us entering and said, "So, I take it you decided to stay with us."

"Yeah," I said, "I didn't really have any other plans, so I figured why not. That and I think it'd be cool to see how many more times I can almost die before it actually happens, and this seems like the place to do it."

"Awesome dude." Markus said, walking up to me and clapping me on the back, "Welcome to the weirdest damn family you'll ever meet."

I laughed and said, "Yeah, I get that feeling around you."

As Markus went back to stand next to Midnight, Alice came up to Azura and I.

"Hey," she said, "We didn't really get a proper introduction earlier, and seeing as you'll be living here we probably should. I'm Alice."

"Izaak." I said, sticking out my hand.

She shook it and went back to standing next to Rell.

"Well, I should probably show him around the rest of the house." Azura said, "Have fun guys."

"Yeah, fun may be possible, if Rell wasn't murdering us like always." Markus said as we left.

When the door had closed behind us we started slowly walking towards the stairs.

"See," Azura said, "I told you that you'd fit in."

"Yeah, you did." I said, "Hey, can we take a break for a second and sit on the stairs. I'm getting a little dizzy."

"Sure." Azura said.

We sat on the top step and I noticed a large circular window high above the front doors, and I could see the sun going down in front of it.

"So, what do you think of the house?" Azura asked me.

"Well, it's slightly overwhelming," I said, "but I like it."

"I thought you would." Azura said.

After a few minutes of silence I cleared my throat and said, "Hey, um, I'm sorry."

Azura looked at me with a confused look on her face and said, "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"For today," I said, sighing, "I feel like a dick."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Y'know, today's your birthday, but instead of doing something that you actually wanted to do, you've been stuck helping a half dead eighteen year old jackass who is still only a partial morph."

Azura slid closer to me and wrapped her arm and tail around me in a hug and said, "Hey, it wasn't all bad. We got to hang out some. And besides, I never said I didn't enjoy it."

"If you say so." I said, still unconvinced. After a few more minutes of silence I decided to say something, so I said the first thing that came to my mind, "Y'know, you have a very beautiful name, by the way."

"Oh. Um, thank you." Azura said, turning away slightly.

I looked at her and saw a small blush under her blue fur, causing me to chuckle in my head.

After a few more minutes Azura said, "C'mon, it's getting late; let's go grab something to eat until they make dinner."

"Alright." I said, as we stood up.

We started walking downstairs, but about halfway down I felt a burning pain in my stomach as if I had just swallowed hot coals. The burning was followed by a skull-splitting headache and the feeling that I was being stabbed by thousands of needles, ending with an excruciating pain, as if I had just broken all of the bones in my body, one by one. I felt my legs buckle under me as I tumbled down into blackness.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Azura 

As Izaak started falling down the stairs I could feel his muscles clench under my arm. He started tumbling down the stairs, screaming as if in agonizing pain, and I rushed down the stairs after him. As he hit the bottom I knelt down next to him, and saw that he had somehow not upset his wounds again. I looked up at the sound of footsteps and saw the others rushing down the stairs towards us. When they reached the foot of the stairs they all knelt down around Izaak as well.

"Azura, what the hell happened?" Midnight yelled over Izaak's screams.

"I don't know," I yelled back, "one minute we were walking down the stairs, and the next he's tumbling down them, screaming."

"Shit, please don't be what I think it is." I heard Rell mutter under his breath. I was about to question him when he said, "Alright, Midnight and Markus get him upstairs and in someone's room, I don't care whose. And Alice, you go to the supply closet and get some sleeping pills if we have any left and then give them to him."

All three of them nodded and quickly did as told, leaving just Rell and myself in the foyer.

When Izaak's screams had been muffled by a closed door I turned to Rell and said, "What's happening? What did you mean when you mentioned thinking it is something?"

He turned to me and said, "Azura, do you remember him telling you how long he's been at his halfway stage?"

I thought for a second, and then said, "No, I don't think so. Why?"

Rell sighed and said, "When I first became a morph I decided to do some studying on them online to see if I could discover anything about them that I didn't already know. While I was looking I found multiple articles from multiple different doctors from Kanto saying that if, for some reason, the transformation is halted or delayed for an extended period of time, when it actually takes effect it will happen within a matter of days and will be extremely painful. The delay can be caused by something as simple as just improper nutrition to something as serious as a coma or a traumatic experience."

"And you think that that may be what's happening to Izaak?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied, "and if it is, then I pray that he makes it through it. The study said that about ninety percent of those who experienced it died while it happened."

At this I could feel tears of worry and fear start welling in my eyes.

Rell turned to me and, seeing the tears in my eyes, wrapped his arms around me and said, "Hey, you've got to remember, he is the one who survived to different attacks by some of the most vicious Pokemon out there. He's strong, and I'd say that gives him a pretty good chance of survival."

"I hope your right." I said, wiping tears from my eyes.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I would have put the lyrics to the song in the story, but there aren't really any lyrics to put.


	4. Flashback/ Backstory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck it, let's go.

* * *

**Flashback/Backstory**

P.O.V Change: Izaak (Dream/Flashback)

I was lying on my bed, absentmindedly scrolling through my music on my phone, when I heard the front door slam open.

"Get the hell on the ground!" I heard a gruff voice yell, slightly muffled by the walls.

 _What the fuck?_ I put my phone in my pocket and shot up off of the bed, grabbing my switch-blade off of my bedside table as I did. As I opened the weapon, my door burst open and two men wearing gas masks and wielding assault rifles came barging in.

"Drop the weapon and get the fuck on the ground, kid!" One of them yelled, as both of them raised their weapons to face me.

I dashed at them with the knife, ready to strike, and stabbed roughly at one. The three inch blade entered his side and disappeared completely, causing him to double over in pain and drop his gun. I was about to grab my knife from the man's side, but I was stopped as his ally got behind me and began choking me, using his assault rifle to cut off oxygen flow into my lungs. As I was occupied with him, his wounded teammate took some handcuffs from his pocket and forced my hands together my back and latched them in, trapping me. The man choking me removed his gun from my throat, allowing me to breathe, only for my mouth to be covered by duct tape seconds later. I was dragged out to the living room, where I saw my parents in a similar predicate as myself, on their knees with their backs to the front door, with five more men in gas masks and holding assault rifles standing around them. I was forced to my knees, in front of them, and I could see a large rifle-butt shaped bruise already beginning to form on my dad's face, while my mother had her eyes closed, with silent tears running down her face. The front door suddenly opened and a large man in a trench coat came in, his face covered by a mask of a clown. The man came over to me and roughly rolled the left sleeve of my shirt up, exposing a small patch of white fur on my elbow.

"Oh yeah." The man said, "He's the one." He turned to the guards and said, "We take the kid. Dispose of the rest."

Two of the men put the barrels of their guns to my parent's heads as I began being dragged backwards through the front door, into the snow. Two shots rang out in the small forest clearing where our house was, and I saw my parents bodies drop to the floor. As I was being dragged I began struggling against the cuff and arms holding me, while also screaming anything that I could think, all the curses I knew and hundreds of different threats, at my kidnappers, but nothing that I said was heard as the duct tape muffled my voice. The last thing I saw before being thrown into the back of a van was my parents eyes, stuck open forever, staring at me through the doorway, and the remaining men pouring gasoline inside of and onto the house, before striking a match and setting it all ablaze.

* * *

 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, backstory!


	5. This Just Got Fifty Fucking Times Weirder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Have any of you wondered why this story has the title that it does?

* * *

**This Just Got Fifty Fucking Times Weirder**

I opened my eyes and saw that I was lying on my back in a dark room. I went to sit up, but fell back with a groan of dull pain. I tried to sit up again and succeeded this time. I could feel the weight of a blanket on me and I could tell that I was still dressed in my tattered jeans and combat boots. As my eyes began to adjust to the darkness I looked around the room and saw a desk, a bedside, multiple posters in the wall, mostly of rock bands with a few video game ones, and I saw an office chair with a jacket laying over a something on it, but the tip of a light blue ear was sticking out from under it, telling me that Azura was under the clothes.

"Hey kid," I said, my voice slightly scratchy, "you up?"

She didn't stir, so I decided to turn the lights on to try to wake her up. I tried to stand, but found that my legs couldn't support me for some reason, so I fell back onto the bed with a muffled thump. Thankfully, though, I noticed that the bed I was on was right next to the door, with the light switch just above the foot of the bed. I slid to the end of the bed and hit the switch, turning on the light. I shut my eyes and put my head in my hands as the light caused them to hurt slightly, but reopened them seconds later, to see that Azura was still fast asleep. As I was raising my head up, I opened my eyes and was shocked at what I saw. My left hand was still covered in the white fur, but my right was coated in solid black fur.  _What the hell?_  I looked up my whole right arm and saw that it followed suit, except for an ice white ring around my elbow. I looked at my chest and saw that it had a black half as well, and as I rolled up the torn jeans I saw that my right leg was completely black, except for a white ring around my knee. I quickly took my phone from my pocket and turned on the frontal camera. Looking at myself in it, I saw my that the right half of my head was covered in black fur, as well, but I also had two long ears poking up from almost the top of my head, with the one on the left being white and the right one being black with a white ring about halfway up it.  _What the fucking hell?_ I quickly slid the back of my pants down a few inches, setting free an extremely long black tail, with a white ring near the tip.  _What the hell? I thought I was going to be an Absol, but I'm some weird cross between it and an Umbreon. I've gotta fucking get Azura up._

I stretched over to Azura and shook her lightly, saying, "Hey, Azura, wake up, we need to talk." She stirred slightly, so I shook her again and said, "C'mon, it's pretty fucking important."

This time she woke up, looking around, blinking sleepily.

"Finally you're awake." I said, "This really is pretty fucking important."

Her eyes fell on me, still slightly glazed over with sleep, and she said, "Izaak?" She then blinked a few times before leaping from the chair to me, tackling me in a hug, knocking me onto my back on the bed and knocking the air out of my lungs, saying, "I'm so happy that you're alive. We all thought that you wouldn't make it."

"Yeah, I'm alive," I said breathlessly, "but right now we have a slightly odd development that we need to discuss."

She let go of me, saying, "What do you me-" before cutting of when she looked at me. "What the hell?" She said, touching my face, "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know." I said, "I just woke up a minute or so and I saw this."

"That is so fucking weird." Azura said, "What are you, a cross between an Absol and an Umbreon?"

"Yeah, I guess." I said, "And it looks like pretty much all of my wounds have healed as well."

"Damn, this just got fifty fucking times weirder." She said. "Although it does make me curious about something."

"What?" I asked.

"What powers will you have?" She asked, "I mean, while they do have some mutual powers, what ones will you have?"

I thought for a second, then said, "Well, some common powers for Umbreon-morph's are Shadow Ball, Hyper Beam, Iron Claw, and Psychic, while an Absol-morph's are Psycho Cut, Night Slash, Shadow Claw, and Dark Pulse. The only thing that I can think of is that I'll either have two from each, or have all eight."

"That would actually be pretty fucking cool, yet extremely weird." Azura said, "But how exactly would Psycho Cut work since you don't have a horn?"

I just shrugged and said, "I'm not quite sure. But I guess it would be weird, but I'm more focused on the weirdness of the whole Umbreon ears, Umbreon tail, and lack of said horn."

"Yeah," Azura said, "that is pretty fucking weird, although I imagine you would look even weirder with both an Umbreon ear, as well as an Absol horn, so it could be worse."

"Yeah, you're right." I said, before yawning rather loudly.

"How the hell are you still tired?" Azura said, looking at me with a confused look on her face, "You've been out for a week."

"Seriously?" I asked, slightly surprised. Azura nodded in response, and I said, "Well, I shouldn't really be surprised, I guess. I mean, I've been out for longer before."

"Well, why don't you get some sleep then." Azura said, "I could probably use some as well."

"Yeah, I probably should," I said, "although, I would prefer it if I could shower first."

"Alright then," Azura said, standing up, "no one said you can't."

"Alright." I said, going to stand up.

I stood up, but, once again, my legs couldn't keep me up for some reason, so I fell forward, but was caught by Azura.

"Thanks." I said, "That really could have fucking hurt."

Azura laughed and said, "Why am I getting a strange feeling of déjà vu about this?" I glared up at her and she said, "Yeah, yeah, I know. You need to be careful about walking for a little bit though, your body has a different bone structure than before, and yours didn't happen over time, so you weren't able to get used to it as it happened."

"Yeah, good point." I said, straightening up and putting my arm around Azura's shoulders for support.

"Alright, let's go." Azura said, opening the door.

We left the room and I realized that I had been in Markus's room. We began walking down the hall towards the bathroom at a slow pace, due to Azura having to help me walk.

"So where's Markus been sleeping at?" I asked.

"Downstairs on the couch." Azura answered, "He wanted to sleep in Midnight's room, but Rell wouldn't let him."

"If he and Midnight are dating, why hasn't he been sleeping in her room?" I asked.

"Rell doesn't like it." Azura replied, "He has a rule where we can't sleep in the same room of the opposite sex unless both are eighteen, and while Markus is already eighteen, Midnight is only seventeen."

"Oh." I said, "So where have you been sleeping?"

"I decided to sleep in Markus's room, on the chair." She said.

"Why didn't you sleep in Midnight's room with her or something?" I asked.

"Well, um," Azura said, turning away awkwardly, "I didn't really want you to be alone."

"Oh," I said, "well, um, thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." Azura said, as we got to the bathroom. "Okay." she said, "While you go shower, I'll go and see if I can get you some clothes to wear."

"Okay," I said, "but what am I meant to do if I fall?"

"Well," she said, "there is a bar in the shower that you can use for support, if you feel like you may drop. So just lock the door, and I'll let you know when I'm back so that you can unlock the door."

"Alright." I said.

I took my arm off of Azura and tried to support myself. I was able to, but my legs still felt slightly weak, so I used the wall for support. Azura nodded at me and went to the stairs. I entered the bathroom and hit the light. I took everything out of my pockets, being only my phone, the money, the compass, and my phone charger, and sat them on the counter, before stripping down and putting my jeans in the trashcan, deciding that there was no reason to keep them anymore. I took my boots off and sat them in front of the counter. I got in the shower and began bathing. After a few minutes, I remembered that I currently had a Mightyena tooth lodged in my arm, so I checked to make sure it hadn't healed over with the tooth still in me, but I found that, thankfully, the hole was still there, with the tooth at the surface.  _I've really got to get that out._  I finished showering and got out; then opened the door on the counter and saw towels in the cabinet. I got one out and dried myself off. By the time I had finished, Azura hadn't returned, so I decided to try and find some tweezers. I looked in the cabinet again and began moving things around in it, until I found some tweezers. I grabbed them and closed the cabinet.

As I stood up, I heard Azura say, from the other side of the door, "Hey, I got you some clothes."

"Alright," I said, "I'll open the door a little bit, and you can give them to me."

I opened the door a few inches and a ball of black clothes was held in. I took them and closed the door.

"Do you want me to wait out here just in case, or what?" Azura asked.

"Doesn't matter to me," I said, "you can go and wait in the room if you want."

"Alright then." She said, before I heard her foots steps go down the hall.

I sat the clothes on the counter and grabbed the tweezers again. I gripped the Mightyena tooth with the tweezers and pulled hard. I felt a small twinge of pain as the tooth came out of my arm. I looked at the wound and saw that it was starting to bleed slightly, so I got the bandages from under the sink and bandaged up my arm. I then looked at the clothes Azura got for me and saw that they were similar to what I was wearing previously: a black shirt and black jeans, which had a hole just under the waist with a button above it.  _For the tail, I assume_. I put them on and grabbed my stuff off of the counter, pocketed it, and then grabbed the tooth and left the bathroom, hitting the lights on my way out. I went back to the bedroom, now being able to walk fairly well without using the wall. When I entered I saw that Azura was sitting back in the office chair.

"What's with the bandages?" She asked me. Instead of answering, I just threw the tooth in her lap, and she picked it up, saying, "What the hell is this?"

"That," I said as I sat on the bed, "is the Mightyena tooth that was stuck in my arm for the past week."

"You had a Mightyena tooth in your arm?" Azura asked.

"Yep." I said, "I honestly thought that it may have healed over, which would suck horribly, as I would then permanently have a tooth in my arm, which would be weird."

"Yeah, because that would be what's weird about this whole situation." Azura said sarcastically, "So, what do you want me to do with it?"

I shrugged and said, "I don't know. You could keep it, I guess."

"Um, okay." She said, before pocketing the tooth, "Well, good night I guess."

She got up and turned off the lights, before returning to the chair and curling up in a ball on it and pulling her jacket back up over her

I took the jacket off of her and said, "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to sleep." She said, going to grab the jacket from me, but I moved it out of reach.

"Not on that, you aren't." I said, "You've been sleeping on that thing for a week, just so that I wouldn't be alone in here, I'll sleep there for tonight and you can take the bed."

"Okay." She said, getting up and sitting next to me on the bed. I went to get up, but she put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Or, y'know, we could both sleep on the bed."

I looked at her, confused, before sitting back down.

"Um, okay." I said.

I then laid down, my back a few inches from the wall. Azura got in front of me and scooted back to where her back was pressing up against me. I then moved back a little bit, but she followed me. I moved back a little more, my back now touching the wall, but still she followed me. I put my arms to my side, but she grabbed the one that I wasn't laying on and draped it over her, my hand resting on her stomach.

I lifted my head up slightly and asked, "Why do you keep doing this?"

Instead if answering, she just snuggled up even closer to me. I was about to ask again, when suddenly a light bulb seemed to come on in my head.

Mentally face-palming, I said, "I'm really fucking bad at taking hints, aren't I?"

"Incredibly so." Azura replied, before putting her under my chin.

I sighed and wrapped my arm around her tighter and said, "Goodnight Azura."

"Goodnight Izaak."She said.

* * *

I woke up, my arm still around Azura, to find that the house seemed silent.  _Guess I'm the first one up._ I shook Azura to wake her up, but she just pushed my hand off of her.

"Azura, time to wake up." I said, shaking her again.

She pushed my hand off again, saying, "Five more minutes."

I was about to shake her again, when I had a thought.  _Fuck it, it may be stupid, but it does work in fairy tales._ I leaned over her slightly and pressed my lips to hers in a kiss. Her eyes shot open, but after a few seconds she returned the kiss, leaning in to it. We broke apart after a minute or so, and she sat up.

"So why exactly did you do that?" She asked me.

"What, did you not enjoy it?" I asked sarcastically.

"Of course I liked it," she said, hugging me, "but it seemed slightly random."

I shrugged and said, "It woke you up, didn't it."

She sighed and said, "Yeah, I guess it did. Alright, I guess we can go and eat some breakfast now."

"Good," I said, "I haven't eaten anything for a week."

Azura stood up, with me following her. We left the room, closing the door behind us quietly. We went down the hall and down the stairs.

"Go wait in the kitchen," Azura said, "I'm going to go and make sure that Markus is still asleep."

I nodded and she went to the living room, while I went into the dining room. It was a simple dining room, with a long wooden table with six chairs per side, and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. I went into the kitchen. The kitchen was fairly large, with counters and all the needed appliances, along with an island in the center and cabinets on the wall above the counters. I went over to the island and just stood there, waiting for Azura, until she entered, yawning widely.

"Are you really that tired?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, taking out her phone and looking at it, "it's only seven in the morning."

I sighed and said, "That isn't that early."

"Well, we normally wake up somewhere between seven and eight, but we normally have coffee." She said.

"Well, where is the coffee; I'll make some." I said.

"In the cabinet above the sink," she said, "while you do that, I'll get us some food. What do you want?"

"I don't really care." I said, going over to the aforementioned cabinet. I opened it and, upon seeing what was in it, said, "What the hell is this?"

"What?" Azura asked, turning to me. I pulled a bag of instant coffee out of the cabinet and she said, "That's coffee, we just went over this."

"No," I said, "this is poison. This is not coffee. If it just needs water added to it, it isn't coffee."

"Alright, alright," Azura said, "we normally just use that because none of us feel like actually making coffee, but if you really want to make some, it's in the cabinet to the left."

"Thank you." I said, before putting the bag back in the cabinet and closing it. I opened the other cabinet and saw a coffee maker, filters, and coffee, so I got them out, saying, "So, have you ever actually had real coffee, or just the instant bullshit?"

"Just that." Azura replied, "I didn't start drinking coffee until I moved in here, and apparently Rell stopped making real coffee before any of us moved in, and none of us really cared enough to make it."

"Trust me," I said, as I began making the coffee, "this tastes so much better than that shit."

"Okay, if you say so." She said.

"Hey, don't doubt me." I said, turning around from the counter.

Azura handed me a bowl of cereal and said, "Here, let's just chill in here and eat; after sleeping in a chair for a week, I really don't feel like sitting one right now."

"No problem with me," I said, taking a bite of cereal, "I'm just glad that I can walk and stand now without needing help."

"Yeah, I imagine that that's nice." She said, laughing. After a few seconds, she said, "So I was thinking, we're pretty much dating now, and we don't really know much at all about each other."

"Oh, so we're dating now? That's a pretty rash assumption." I said, jokingly. Azura glared at me, a playful look in her eyes, and I said, "Okay, but what do you have in mind for us to get to know each other better?"

"Well, I was thinking that we would just ask each other random questions," she said, "and then we both have to answer them."

"Alright." I said, "You go first."

"Okay," she said, taking a bite of cereal. When she finished, she asked, "What's your favorite band?"

I thought for a second, then said, "It's actually a tie between three. Avenged Sevenfold, Black Veil Brides, and Crown the Empire."

"Nice, nice." Azura said, "Mine would have to be either Black Veil Brides or In This Moment. Now you ask."

"Alright," I said, "seeing as it's a mutual favorite band, how about favorite Black Veil Brides song?"

"Mortician's Daughter, hands down." She said, "You?"

"Probably Knives and Pens." I said. "Your turn."

"To stray from the subject of music, what's your favorite literature?" She asked.

"I probably couldn't choose a favorite," I said, "but I mostly just read Stephen King and The Divine Comedy."

"You read classics?" Azura asked me. I nodded and she said, "Cool. Personally, I just read Poe."

"Nice choice." I said. Suddenly, the coffee maker let out a ding, signaling that it was finished, so I said, "I'll get the coffee if you'll get out what you guys normally put in it."

"Alright," She said, "cups are in the shelf above your head." She handed me her empty cereal bowl and said, "Can you put this in the sink, please?"

I sat both of our now empty bowls in the sink and got down two cups from the cabinet and filled them with coffee. Azura came back over to me, holding a bottle of vanilla creamer.

"Nice choice." I said.

"Oh, so you don't find this to be poison?" Azura asked, jokingly.

"No, I don't." I said, pouring creamer in both of the cups. I gave her one of the cups, saying, "It's much better than just cream and sugar, that's for sure."

"Yeah, your right." Azura said, taking a drink of her coffee. I stood there, watching her, until she finished drinking and said, "What?"

"So, do you still think that that garbage is better?" I asked.

She sighed and said, "No, you were right. This is much better."

"Told you." I said, taking a drink of my own.

"Okay, I have one more question." Azura said.

"Alright, shoot." I said.

"What is something that you or someone else thinks is interesting about you?" She asked.

"You mean besides the half and half morph body?" I asked sarcastically. I thought for a second, before saying, "I'm fluent in Latin."

"Really, a dead language?" Azura asked. I nodded and she said, "Why?"

"Well, my parents were poke-doctors, so there's the whole binomial nomenclature shit," I said, "that and I think it's a cool language. How about you?"

"No one know here, not even Midnight, knows about this," Azura said, "so before I tell you this you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially her. Agreed?" I nodded and she said, "Okay. When I was younger, before all this happened, I sort of liked being the stereotypical rebel, so when I was twelve, I sort of got some piercings."

"Okay," I said, "what's so weird about that?"

"Well, they're body piercings." She said, awkwardly. I motioned for her to go on, so she said, "And I have three, but I can only show you one."

Understanding what she meant I said, "Are they all higher than the belt or lower?"

"All higher." She said, "I mean; I'll show you the one I can if you want me to."

I shrugged and said, "Sure, if you're alright with it."

"Alright." She said, before moving her shirt halfway up her torso, revealing a black ball belly-button piercing, visible through the light blue fur.

"Cool." I said, "I assume that the others are a little higher up, with one on each side."

"Yeah," she said, letting her shirt fall back down, "that's about right."

"So, why does no one else know?" I asked.

"Well, one reason is that it would be a weird thing to just randomly bring up," she said, "and I never said that no one knows, just no one here."

"So who else knows?" I asked.

"A past boyfriend. He never saw me shirtless or anything like that, but one time he hugged me and said that he felt something on my body." She answered, "So, I told him what they were and he dumped me, saying that they were freaky and weird, so after that I never told anyone else."

"Didn't any guys after him ask about them?" I asked.

"No," she said, "but that's mostly due to the fact that he was the only guy I've ever dated, so I never got close enough for any other guy to feel them."

"What about Midnight," I asked, "haven't you hugged her since then."

"Yeah, I have," she said, "I've just learned a way to angle my body to where they can't be felt."

"Well, you don't have to worry about being dumped because of them," I said, wrapping my arms around her, "personally, I find them hot."

"Thanks." She said, before planting a kiss on my cheek.

Suddenly, I heard someone enter the kitchen, followed by Midnight's voice saying, "Hey, anyone down here yet? I thought I heard voices."

"Yeah, we're in here." Azura responded.

Midnight came in, followed by Rell.

"Morning guys." I said.

They both froze and looked at me, a mixture of confusion and surprise on their faces.

Rell was the first to speak up, saying, "What the actual fuck?"

"What's the matter? Never seen a weird half breed morph before?" I asked. "I mean, hell, a week ago you guys didn't think it was that weird for me to show up half dead and only a partial morph, so why is this weird?"

"Wait a minute." Midnight said, walking up to me, "Izaak?

"That depends; have any other half dead people shown up here while I was unconscious?" I asked.

"No, not that I know of." Rell said, "Unless, of course, Azura brought home two strays in a week, and I wasn't informed of the second."

"Haha, jackass." I said sarcastically. "I went ahead and made coffee, by the way, so you guys don't have to drink that shitty poison."

"Stop calling it poison," Azura said, "it wasn't that bad."

"Oh, yes it is." Rell said, getting down two cups, "Instant coffee's poison."

"Told you." I said, taking a drink of my coffee.

"Whatever." Azura said, sighing.

"C'mon, there can't be that much of a difference." Midnight said, accepting some coffee from Rell. She took a drink, before saying, "Okay, you win."

"Told you." Rell said. "So when did you guys even wake up?"

"The first time or the second time?" Azura asked. "We woke up at about one, when Izaak woke me up after he woke up and discovered his current form, and then we woke up at about seven."

"Arceus, that's too damn early." Midnight said. "I could never accomplish that."

"Yeah, well sleeping for a week sorta helps out." I said.

"I imagine," Rell said, "although a fair amount of that week was spent with all of us feeling hung over while trying to ditch the fucking headaches you gave us."

I chuckled and said, "Yeah, sorry about that, but I couldn't really help it. I was unconscious from the moment I started falling."

"It doesn't matter," Rell replied, "although we are out of aspirin now, so if anyone gets a headache, they'll have to get the fuck over it."

"Therefore, if Markus starts fucking around with any of his explosives, he's dying." Midnight said.

"Explosives?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"Yeah," Azura said, "he's our friendly neighborhood engineer. He likes to make random shit, which almost always fucks up and normally injures someone somehow."

"But you cannot deny that my bombs are fairly badass." Markus said, entering the room. He saw me and said, "Izaak, you look really fucking weird, but it does work better than the whole half dead look, so I applaud you."

"Why of course, good sire," I said sarcastically, taking a mocking bow, "I live only to please you, my liege."

Rell, Midnight, and Azura burst out laughing, while Markus just glared at me.

"C'mon dude, it was a joke. We all know that I would never call you sire." I said

"Whatever," Markus said, turning to the counter and getting out a coffee cup, "let's just see if you wake up with a stink bomb in your stuff or not."

"Well, you'd have a fairly difficult time doing that," I said, "seeing as everything I have is currently in my pockets."

"Which reminds me," Rell said, "we need to find you a backpack or something to keep your stuff in, seeing as Markus will be going back into his room now that you're conscious."

"Finally." Markus said, sighing, "My back's been feeling like I slept on a rock for a week. I don't know how the hell you sleep on that thing every night, Azura."

"Meh, you get used to it." She said. "And besides, it's better than the floor."

"Arceus, I hope so." I said, "Especially since there'll be two people sleeping on it."

"Oh, already sleeping together, are we?" Rell said, chuckling. "Your relationship is moving fairly fast, now isn't it?"

"Oh, shut up." Azura said, punching him lightly on the arm. Turning to me, she said, "So, you wanna go fuck around in the gym a little bit, get you used to your new body?"

"Sure," I said, shrugging, "Nothing better to do."

"Aren't you guys going to eat something first?" Markus asked.

"Already did." I said, pointing to the bowls in the sink.

"Alright then, have fun," Rell said, "if you see Alice on your way up, tell her that we're all already downstairs and that there's fresh coffee."

"Alright." Azura said, as we put our empty cups in the sink and left the room.

We left the dining room and went up the stairs. At the top we saw Alice heading towards us from her room, but she froze at the sight of us.

"Morning Alice," I said, waving to her, "everyone's already up and I made some coffee downstairs if you want some."

She kept staring at us with a blank face, so we left her and went to the gym. We entered the room and Azura turned to me.

"So, what first?" She asked me.

"I don't really care," I said, "you can choose. And while you do that, I shall empty my pockets."

I turned and saw two benches, one on each side of the door, that I hadn't noticed before. I went over to them and took the compass, the money, and my phone, along with all of its accessories, and sat them on one. I turned around to see Azura standing next to the punching bags.

"So, these first?" I asked.

"Yep," she said, nodding, "I figured that even though it won't necessarily help you get used to your new body, it will at least be fun."

"Alright," I said, walking over to her, "you wanna go first?"

She shrugged and said, "Sure, why not."

She stepped up to one of the bags as I moved aside. She started hitting it with one punch after the other, knocking it back some with each hit and not giving it a chance to return to its resting position. After a few minutes she stepped away from the bag, panting lightly.

"Okay, you wanna give it a try?"She asked.

I shrugged and said, "Sure, that's why I'm in here after all."

She moved aside and I stepped up to the bag. I began hitting it slowly, allowing it to fall still after each hit before knocking it back about as much as Azura did.

"C'mon, that can't be the fastest or strongest you can hit," she said, "I'm positive it isn't. Unless, of course, the whole two giant fights didn't really happen."

I turned to her and saw that she was smirking.

"Alright," I said, "you want me to stop holding back?"

"Absolutely. Let's see exactly how good you are." She said.

"Alright." I said, before turning back to the bag.

I began hitting it faster and harder, causing it to go completely horizontal with each hit and not giving it a seconds rest. After hitting it for a minute or so like this, there was a loud sound of metal breaking, as the chain holding it to the ceiling snapped as I hit the bag, sending it flying back to the wall, where it landed with a loud thump.

"Holy shit." Azura said, in an awestruck tone of voice.

There was the sound of footsteps flying up the stairs, before the doors burst open with the others rushing in.

"What the hell was that?" Rell asked. Upon seeing the bag on the ground, he said, "What the hell happened?"

I just shrugged and said, "She told me not to hold back."

"So you broke the bag off of the fucking ceiling?" Rell said, in obvious disbelief.

"Well, it took two or three minutes," I said, "but, yeah, I did. If it makes you feel any better, it was an accident."

Rell face-palmed as Markus said, "Minus the broken chain, that's pretty fucking awesome."

"What the hell ever." Rell said. "I'm gonna go back down and finish breakfast."

He left the room, with everyone except for Midnight following.

"I'm already done eating, so I might as well join in." She said.

"Yeah, let's just hope that Izaak doesn't break anything else." Azura said.

* * *

Azura and I came in the front door, both of us panting lightly.

"Okay, you win." Azura said, leaning up against the doorframe.

"I know," I said, "but don't worry, you weren't that far behind."

After Midnight had joined us in the gym we continued messing around, until eight, at which Midnight left us and Azura and I went outside and started walking through the woods. We ended losing track of time, and didn't realize how late it was until I looked at my phone and saw that it was past one in the morning, so we decided to race home, with me beating Azura by a few seconds.

"Yeah." She said. "C'mon, let's go find something to eat."

"Alright." I said.

We went into the dining room and I saw a black backpack sitting on the table. I went up to it and saw a note on it, which read: Izaak, I found this bag in the supply closet for you, so I just left it sitting here since you're not back yet –Rell.

"Sweet." I said, as I took everything except for my phone out of pockets and put them in the front pocket.

"Y'know, we could always have shared a bag." Azura said.

I shrugged and said, "Meh, now we don't have to."

We entered the kitchen and saw that it was empty.

"I guess everyone already went to bed." I said.

"Well, can you blame them?" Azura said, going over to the fridge. "I mean, it is one in the morning."

I shrugged and said, "Yeah, I guess. So, what's for dinner?"

"Well, we ran out of canned and frozen food a few weeks ago," Azura said, getting a covered container from the fridge and sitting it on the island, "so I imagine it is whatever is in here."

She opened the container and I saw a mess of green and yellow in it.

"What the hell is that?" I asked, appalled.

"That would be Markus's cooking." Azura said, sighing, "But, specifically, it is lettuce, spinach, and a fuck-ton of cheese, the only thing he knows how to cook."

"Why do you allow him to cook cheesy grass?" I asked. "Why doesn't one of you guys cook?"

"Well, we would," She replied, "if anyone except for Markus and Rell knew how to cook, and all Rell knows how to cook are eggs."

"Okay then," I said, "why the hell does he use so much cheese?"

"It was originally used to add variety," she said, "but now we're all pretty sure that he got addicted to the shit, so now he coats this shit in it."

"That is fucking disgusting." I said. "Throw that away before I fucking burn it. I'll cook us up something."

"Wait, you're going to cook?" Azura asked.

"Um, yeah. Why, is there something wrong with that?" I asked.

"Well, no one here can cook," she said, "so I have a fairly high amount of doubt that it will work."

"Hey, I'm a good cook, trust me." I said. "Now, if you don't believe me, how about you just throw the cheesy grass away and wait in the dining room, and I'll cook the best damn thing you've ever eaten."

At this, Azura busted out laughing, before saying, "Alright, calm down Fieri, you can try to cook if you want. I imagine that you can use whatever you want in here, seeing as no one else cooks."

She dumped the contents of the tub into the trash and put the tub in the sink, before leaving the room.  _She truly has no faith in me, even after being right about the coffee this morning. Oh well, she'll see soon enough._  I opened the fridge and immediately found what I would need.  _Oh yeah, this'll work._

I came out of the kitchen, holding two steaming plates up at my neck.

Azura was sitting in a chair at the table and said, "Ahh, now I can finally see the culinary art that is Chef Izaak's food."

"Haha, very funny." I said sarcastically, as I went over to the table.

"Yeah, I thought so too." She said. I sat down the two plates, one in front of her and one across from her, and she said, "Holy shit. This actually looks like real food."

"Yeah," I said, smirking, "I thought so too."

"What is it?" Azura asked.

"That would be bacon-wrapped chicken, with broccoli and a rice pilaf." I replied, sitting down.

Azura picked up her fork and cut off a small piece of chicken. She raised it to her mouth and sniffed it.

"Hmm, it smells like real food." She said.

"Will you just take a bite already," I said, "I'm waiting to prove you wrong again."

She hesitantly put the food in her mouth and began chewing, and after a few seconds her expression changed to one of surprise.

"Holy shit, this is good." She said.

"Wow, something I told you is true," I said, "now don't talk with your mouth full."

She nodded and swallowed her bite, before saying, "How can you cook this well?"

"Well, my parents weren't at home a lot in the week, and my sister couldn't cook much, which became a moot point after she left to try and become a gym leader, so I sort of had to either starve to death or cook," I said, "and, as you can see, I chose the latter."

"Why didn't you just eat frozen food like us?" She asked, taking another bite.

"Well," I said, taking a bite of my own, "I can't stand that shit. It's like the insta-coffee of food."

"Well I'm glad that that's how it worked out," Azura said, "because this is so fucking good."

I laughed and said, "Alright, calm down, it's just food."

"Yeah, I know." Azura said, laughing. "So, how did you enjoy just wondering the forest today?"

I took a bite of my food and said, "Well, I have to say that it surprisingly hasn't changed much while I've been gone."

"What do you mean?" Azura asked.

"Well, after walking around a little bit, I think that I recognize these woods as the ones just outside of Cyleton, am I right?"I said. Azura nodded, so I said, "Well, I lived around here, up until a few years ago."

"Cool." Azura said.

We finished eating, talking the whole time, and when we were done I went to go shower while Azura took care of the dishes. When I came downstairs after showering, I saw Azura already in the living room and lying on the couch.

"So, how are we gonna do the whole sleeping thing?" I asked.

"Well, I thought we'd do it the same as last night," Azura said, getting up, "with you behind me, holding me."

"Oh," I said, getting on the couch, "do you like being held by me?"

"Sorta." Azura replied, getting on the couch with me.

I wrapped my arm around her and said, "Good night, Azura."

"Good night," she said, "I love you, Izaak."

"Love you too." I said, squeezing her closer to me.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter's interesting, isn't it? So, I've actually had this idea in my head since day one of this story, and it honestly stemmed from the fact that Umbreon and Absol are my two favorite pokemon, so I couldn't decide what one to use. So, yeah, it's weird, I know. And with the powers, I sort of have this rule type thing with my stories where all of my OCs only have four offensive powers (i.e. Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball), but they have all of the other powers that that pokemon can learn (i.e. Extreme Speed, Double Team), so that is why the powers are what they are.


	6. Well, That Was Awkward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, this chapter will be fun, as it adds a new character. So, enjoy.

 

* * *

**Well, That Was Awkward**

I was standing in the kitchen, cooking breakfast, with Azura sitting on the island behind me, drinking coffee.

"Y'know," Azura said, "I still can't believe that you've already been here for almost three months. It seems like just yesterday that I found you in a tree."

I shrugged and said, "Yeah, I guess. What I find to be more unbelievable is the fact that I've been living here for almost three months and I still haven't taught the others how to fucking cook. I mean, seriously, it isn't all too fun cooking every meal we eat."

Azura sat her coffee down and walked up to me.

Wrapping her arms around me, she said, "C'mon, it isn't that you haven't taught them, it's that they don't seem to really want to learn."

"Yeah, I know." I said, sighing. "But that doesn't make it any less annoying. I don't even see what the big deterrent is. I mean, hell, you had fun learning, right?"

"Of course," she said, giving me a quick peck on the cheek, "but you should know by now that the others, especially Markus, can be really fucking lazy. Well, except for today."

"Why, what's today?" I asked, turning around as the bacon began to sizzle.

"Halloween, of course." Azura said.

"What exactly makes today so special?" I asked. "Do you guys celebrate it or something?"

"Not necessarily." She replied. "Y'know how there's that whole bullshit thing where on Halloween people will go out and attack dark types?"

"Yes." I said.

"Well, Markus has this thing where, every Halloween, he goes out to try and be some vigilante or something and prevent it in these woods." Azura said.

"Has he ever actually accomplished it?" I asked.

"Not whenever one of us has gone with him." She said. "We've all went with him once and he never really seems to accomplish anything."

"Who's going with him this year?" I asked.

"I don't know." Azura said, shrugging. "But, to change the subject, there is something else that you haven't done yet."

"Oh?" I asked. "And what's that?"

"You still need to tell the others your story." She replied.

"Oh. Right." I said, slightly nervously. "You know I don't want to do that."

"Oh, c'mon," Azura said, nudging me, "you told me within a week, but they still don't know."

"I know, I know." I said, closing my eyes and sighing. "It's just that I don't like sharing things about me too much, and I can't stand being the center of attention."

"Please." Azura pleaded. "For me."

I opened my eyes to see Azura staring at me with puppy dog eyes.

"Fine." I said, sighing and hugging her. "You know that I can't say no to that face."

"Yeah, I know." She said, giggling.

"I'll tell them, but it will be later." I said. "I don't really feel like it right now."

"Alright," she said, "just tell them some time before the thirteenth, okay?"

"Fine." I said. Returning her kiss from before, I said, "And besides, you haven't told me your story yet."

"Tell you what," she said, "I'll tell you after you tell them."

"Fine with me." I said, shrugging. "C'mon, let's start bringing the food in there."

Azura grabbed the plate of eggs and the stack of plates and forks I had sitting on the counter as I started plating up the bacon. What she meant by "my story" is what has been going on in my life in the past five years. I had told her a few days after I woke up, but I had yet to tell the others, not knowing how they would react. She hadn't really questioned anything, more or less, and mostly just accepted it as a fact of life, so that was a giant relief for me. I grabbed the bacon, the pancakes, and both of our coffees before heading into the dining room. Azura had already put her plates on the table and was standing at her seat, the second one down on the left side. I sat my plates down, before sitting her coffee in front of her and mine in front of the seat to her left.

As we both sat down, I said, "Shouldn't they be awake by now?"

"Yeah, probably." Azura said. "Do you think we should go wake them up?"

I was about to answer, but I was interrupted by Midnight entering the room, laughing her ass off.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Nothing, just the mime from hell, or whatever the hell he is." She replied, between laughs. "Hey, is the coffee ready?"

"Yeah." I replied, still confused. As she went into the kitchen, I turned to Azura and asked, "What is she talking about, exactly?"

Azura sighed, before saying, "Probably Markus's costume."

"Costume?" I asked.

"Yeah," she replied, "he really loves Halloween, so along with the whole vigilante thing, he likes to dress up as a character from a movie or something as best as possible, and it's almost always some obscure character that none of us recognize."

"Yep," Rell said, as he and Alice entered the room, "and this year is no different."

"Seriously, what the hell is his clown from hell costume from?" Alice said, as they walked past us and into the kitchen. "And what the hell is with the stuffed bird on his shoulder?"

"I guess it's really obscure this year." Azura said, sighing.

At this point Markus walked into the room. He was wearing black jeans, a long sleeve black shirt, and a black duster, with the fur on his face painted white with black around the eyes and mouth, and a fake Murkrow sitting on his shoulder. As he entered, Azura started laughing, barely stifling it.

I jokingly threw my hands up and said, "Calm down there Eric, I didn't do anything to you or your girlfriend. Really, I think you're looking for Top Dollar."

At this, Markus threw his hands up, saying, "Holy fucking shit; someone actually gets the damn costume!"

I laughed, lowering my hands, and said, "Dude, how could I not get the reference? That's one of my favorite movies."

Alice, Rell, and Midnight came into the room, all of them holding a cup of coffee, with Midnight holding two, and they all sat down, Rell across from me, with Alice next to him, and Markus and Midnight next.

"Wait, so you actually recognize his weird jester outfit?" Midnight asked, as we began passing out plates.

"Of course." I responded. "He's Eric Draven." The others stared at me, confused looks on their faces, so I said, "C'mon, Eric Draven. From The Crow."

"Sorry man," Rell said, "looks like you're the only one here who gets it."

I sighed, saying, "Whatever. Just know that I will find some way to make you guys watch every single Halloween themed movie I can think of."

We began eating, the only sound being silverware hitting plates. When we were done, Markus stood up and clapped his hands together.

"So," he said, all of us looking at him, "who wants to go with me tonight?"

No one responded for a few minutes, instead just looking away awkwardly, and I saw his ears slowly begin to droop.

Feeling sorry for him, I raised my hand and said, "Fuck it, I'll go."

He immediately brightened up, his ears straightening out and a smile spreading across his face, and said, "Yes, awesome. Meet me at my room at ten tonight."

He then dashed out of the room, and I could hear his footsteps going up the stairs. I chuckled, before seeing everyone looking at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Did you just agree to go with him tonight?" Rell asked.

"Um, yes." I said. "I don't really see the big deal here."

"Well, besides the fact that it's just a waste of time," Alice said, "he goes out to try and defend dark types, which you are two dark types combined, and a morph. You do realize that that is literally a death wish, right?"

I shrugged and said, "I can handle myself. And besides, even if nothing happens, it still makes him happy, so I don't really see any harm in it."

"Whatever man," Rell said, getting up, "if you think it's a good idea; then go ahead."

He then grabbed his dishes and went into the kitchen, with Alice following him.

"Sometimes," Azura said, sighing, "you truly baffle me."

* * *

"Y'know, I have to admit," Alice said, as the credits of the movie rolled, "that actually was a good animated movie."

"Told you." Rell and I said at the same time.

We were in the living room, with Midnight, Azura, and I on the couch, Rell in the left armchair, and Alice in the right. All of us, with the exception of Markus, who had been in his room all day, had been watching Halloween themed movies all day, and we had just finished Nightmare before Christmas.

"But, doesn't it seem more themed for Christmas than Halloween?" Midnight asked.

"Well, that's the awesome part about that movie," I said," it's technically both, so you have an excuse to watch it twice a year."

"Well, yeah," Midnight said, "but do you really need an excuse?"

"Of course not," I said, "but it is an excuse for it to be played on TV twice a year."

Midnight shrugged, saying, "You got me there."

"Hey," Azura said, "isn't it about time for you to go get Markus?"

I pulled my phone from my pocket and saw that she was right.

"Yeah, it is." I said, getting up from the couch.

I left the room and went upstairs. I turned down the hall and went to Markus's door.

I knocked, and was greeted by Markus saying, "Umm, give me a few seconds."

I stood there, waiting, until Markus came out, holding a backpack. He still had the dye and costume on, but the Murkrow was absent.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

"Yep." I replied.

We started towards the stairs, walking at a steady pace.

"So," I started, "what's with the bag?"

"It's got some essentials in it," he said, "y'know, like bottles of water, bandages, and shit like that."

"Are you expecting one of us to get hurt?" I asked.

"Not necessarily," he replied, "but, you never know, we may need it."

"Fair enough." I said, as we went down the stairs. "So, since I'm doing this for you, I want you to do something for me."

"Um, okay." He said. "What?"

"You have to learn how to cook." I said.

"That's all?" He asked. I nodded, and he said, "Alright, I have no issue with that."

When we got to the bottom, we headed for the door, and Markus yelled, "We're leaving now!"

He opened the door and left, and I was about to follow, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Midnight behind me, a worried expression on her face.

"What's up?" I asked, shutting the door slightly.

"Well," she said, "I just wanted to say good luck. And please be careful."

"Hey," I said, "like I said this morning, I can handle myself."

"I know," she said, "that isn't what I'm worried about."

Knowing what she meant, I said, "It's Markus, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she said, sighing, "I worry about him every time he goes out, especially after the year before last."

"Why?" I asked. "What happened then?"

"Well, none of us went with him that night," she said, "we were all too busy or just didn't want to go, but he was adamant about going. Well, it got to be about four in the morning, and I got worried about him, so Azura and I went after him. We found him, unconscious and laying in a pool of his own blood in a clearing."

"Damn," I said, "what happened?"

"Apparently he had actually found some guys beating up a Purrloin, so he tried to stop them." She said. "And, while I love him, he isn't always the brightest, and he's also not the best fighter in the world, so they sorta kicked his ass. He ended up having a broken nose and a few bruised ribs, but he recovered fairly well. But I can't help but be worried about him now."

"If that happened, why does he still go?" I asked.

"After that, he felt like he actually did help," she said, "as, while they were distracted with kicking his ass, the Purrloin was actually able to escape. So, instead of deterring him, it just made him want to do it more."

"Well, don't worry." I said. "I promise that nothing will happen to him. I'll defend him with my life."

"Thanks." She said, before hugging me.

She let go of me, just as Markus poked his head around the door.

"Hey, we going or not?" He said.

"Yeah, I was just coming." I said.

"Bye guys," Midnight said, as we left, "have fun."

"Alright," Markus responded, "be back in a few hours."

We closed the door behind us and left through the front gate. We turned off of the small dirt road outside of the gates, and started walking through the woods.

"Hey, dude," Markus began, after a few minutes, "I wanted to thank you for coming out here with me."

"It's no big deal dude." I said, shrugging.

"Yeah, it is." He said. "I know that the others don't like coming out here with me, and I know that they think that it's a waste of time, so I wanted to let you know that I'm grateful that you came out with me, even if it is just because you felt sorry for me."

I sighed, before saying, "Was it really that obvious?"

"Yeah, sorta." He responded. "But, that doesn't mean that I'm any less grateful. Really, I'm just glad that someone wanted to come."

"Well, even if their predictions are true," I said, "it should at least be fun anyways."

Suddenly, the near silence of the night was ripped open by a piercing scream.

"Or not." I said, as we both took off running for the source. As we ran, I felt my Extreme Speed kick in, causing the gap between Markus and I to grow even more. I eventually came to the edge of a small clearing, where I stopped and waited for Markus. He arrived a few seconds later, panting lightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but I quickly signaled for him to be quiet. He did so, and I pointed towards the clearing, where there was a group of teenagers, dressed as the ghost trio, kicking two Pokemon that I couldn't see. I signaled for Markus to follow me, and I stepped out of the trees and walked up behind them.

"Hey," I said, getting their attention, "what's going on here?"

They all whipped around to face me, masks on their faces covering what I assumed to be a shocked expression. When they saw me though, they seemed to calm down.

"Holy shit, guy," the "Gengar" said, "you scared us to fucking death. We thought you were a cop."

"Damn dudes," the "Haunter" said, "those are the best fucking costumes I've ever seen. They look so realistic."

"Thanks." I said, trying to get back to what I was doing. "So, what are you guys doing?"

"Just teaching these dark type fuckers their place." The "Ghastly" said, waving the stick he was holding, "Wanna join?"

I shrugged, before saying, "Sure, why not?"

The "Ghastly" handed me the stick, and I accepted it. Looking at Markus, I saw a horrified expression on his face, but I just turned away and went up to the group. They parted, exposing a Houndour and a Houndoom lying on the ground, both with blood dribbling from their mouths, and bodies covered in bruises, with the Houndour being unconscious. But, what caught my attention the most was the Houndoom. Its horns were shattered, with only the jagged stumps remaining, and some minor scarring visible, indicating that the injury was a few months old.  _Hello, old friend._ I gripped the stick tightly, and cocked my arm back, ready to swing, but as I did so, I quickly turned, nailing the "Ghastly" in the stomach with the stick, knocking him to the ground, breathless.

"What the fuck?" The "Gengar' yelled.

I quickly spun and delivered a quick blow to the "Haunter" as well, knocking him down. As I swung at the "Gengar", though, he grabbed the stick and broke it.

"Nice try, asshole," he said, "but, I took karate for years."

He quickly sent a punch flying at my head, but I caught it and held him in place.

"There's a big difference between karate and a real fight kid." I said. "The main one being that, in real combat, honor and safety are optional."

I then kicked his legs out from under him, sending him flying to the ground. By now, the other two had gotten up, with the "Ghastly" catching his breath. I turned to Markus to see him standing on the sidelines, eyes wide.

"You gonna jump in, or just watch?" I asked.

"Right." He said, nodding.

He dropped the backpack off of his shoulder, and rushed over to confront the "Ghastly".

"Looks like I've got you two." I said, as the "Gengar" picked himself up off of the ground.

They both rushed me at once, but I easily side-stepped them, causing them to go right past me. We whipped around to face each other, and the "Haunter" pulled a kitchen knife out of his pocket.

"Not playing fair, are we?" I asked.

He rushed me, but I easily grabbed his wrist before the knife made contact. I snatched the knife from him with my other hand and easily bent the blade with back onto itself. He looked at me, a scared look in his eyes, and I simply chuckled.

"Regretting this fight yet?" I asked.

I dropped the knife and flung the "Haunter" to the side, and into a tree, where he collapsed, unconscious. I turned and saw that the "Gengar" had pulled out two kitchen knives from his pocket.

"Two now?" I said. "You guys really like blades. But, I think I still have you beat."

I coated my right hand in an Iron Claw, causing four long, metal blades to come out of my fist.

"What the fuck?" He said, eyes wide, with a look of terror in them.

I coated my left hand in an Iron Claw as well, and scraped them across each other, creating a loud noise of metal on metal.

By now all eyes were on me, so I simply said, "Run. Now."

The "Gengar" dropped his knives and ran over to his unconscious friend, the "Ghastly" following closely. They picked him up and quickly fled through the trees. As they retreated, I got rid of the claws, and they disappeared into thin air.

"Well, I guess that's one way to end a fight." Markus said, coming over to me.

"Yep." I said. "C'mon, let's check on those two."

We went over to the Pokemon and knelt down at them. I inspected the Houndour first, as it seemed in a more critical condition, and saw that it was breathing steadily, with its only visible injuries being a missing tooth and a few bruises.

"Alright, it seems to be stable." I said, turning to look at the Houndoom.

Its eyes were open, and it was breathing steadily, with the only visible injuries being a few bruises.

"Thank you," It said in a female voice.

She tried to sit up, but I could tell that the strain was too much, so I gently lowered her to the ground.

"Don't move, you're too hurt." I said.

"No, I must get myself and my son home," she said, "my mate will be worried about me."

"Let us take you there," I said, "you aren't strong enough to walk, and your son is unconscious."

"No, I can do it myself." She said, trying to get up again.

I wrapped my arms under her and lifted her from the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing?" She protested. "I said I can do it."

"And I said that you aren't going to." I said. Turning to Markus, I said, "Could you grab her son, please?"

He nodded and put his backpack back on, before lifting the Houndour and holding him in a similar position that I was holding his mother.

"So, where to?" I asked.

She sighed, before saying, "Head west of here, please."

We started walking, Markus keeping pace with me. I looked down and saw the Houndoom had her face buried in my shirt.

Looking up at me, she said, "Why do you smell so familiar?"

I chuckled, before saying, "I'm not sure if I should tell you, as you may not like the answer."

"You can tell me," she said, "after all, I can't really do anything right now."

"Okay then," I said, "do you remember a few months ago, when you attacked that family?"

"Yes, why?" She said. A light bulb seemed to go on in her mind, as she said, "Wait a minute, were you that kid with the stick? The one who broke my horns?"

"Um, yes," I said, awkwardly, "I'm sorry about that by the way."

"Don't be." She said, sighing. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I shouldn't have attacked them in the first place. It was obvious that they meant no harm, I was just extremely cautious, as I had just recently had my son."

"It's alright." I said. "All you did was shake them up a bit."

"No, it's not, and you and I both know that you're lying." She said. "I know that I almost killed you, there's no need to pretend."

I shrugged, before saying, "What happened, happened. I'm alive now, so there's no harm done."

"Okay, if you say so." She said. "So, what's the deal with the double morph thing?"

"I don't know." I said, shrugging. "We've all sort of just accepted it as fact."

"All?" She asked, confused. "Do you two live with Rell?"

"Yes," I said, "do you know him?"

"Sort of." She replied. "My clan learned of the house being built in the forest just before it was completed, so we went to investigate. We came to an agreement with him and his father that he could build the house in our territory, with no trouble from us, as long as they didn't harm us."

"You have a clan?" I asked.

"Yes." She said. "The clan started as a purely Houndour and Houndoom clan, but since then we have grown to accept pretty much any canine Pokemon that wanted to join, and we all live like a family."

"That sounds nice." I said. "So, should I assume that that is where we are taking you?"

"Yes." She said. "It is actually near the clearing, although I imagine that one of our patrols will find us first."

"You have patrols?" I asked. "What for?"

"We normally only have hunting parties that double as patrols," she said, "but, as this is Halloween, we send out real patrols, to get rid of any people with violent traditions."

"Such as those teens." I added.

"Yes," she said, "such as those teens. Arceus, I hated their costumes." Looking at Markus, she said, "Speaking of costumes, what's with your friend?"

I shrugged, saying, "He really likes Halloween. He sort of does his own patrol every Halloween, as well."

"Yes, I remember some patrols reporting seeing him." She said. "I guess it's a good thing that he has that tradition, I guess."

"Finally someone sees some worth in it." Markus said.

I laughed, before saying, "Y'know, I never got your name."

"Grace." She said. "And my son is Mark."

"Well then," I said, "it's nice to actually meet you, Grace. I'm Izaak."

We continued walking and, after a while, I started to recognize where we were, and I knew that we were close. We finally reached the clearing, so we stepped out into it.

"Odd," Grace said, "I legitimately believed that we'd run into someone by now."

"Maybe they're taking a b-" Markus began, but was cut off as a large ring of fire surrounded us.

"Okay then." I said, sighing.

"Remain calm." Grace said. "This is merely a tactic of my clan, used to surround and deter intruders."

Suddenly, a group of six Pokemon leapt through the flames, surrounding us. I saw a Mightyena, two Houndooms, and three Houndours.

"Freeze, intruder." The Mightyena ordered.

Seeing no reason not to, I complied, standing still.

"What business do you have here?" He demanded.

_Well he's nice._

I was about to answer, until Grace spoke up, saying, "Calm down, Axel. They're with me."

At this, the Mightyena faltered in his stance, before saying, "Grace? Why have you brought them here? What happened?"

Grace straightened up to where she could look at Axel, before saying, "I will explain when we get home. Could you lead them there?"

"Umm,sure." Axel responded. Looking up at me, he said, "You two, follow me."

He turned around and left the circle of fire, followed by the other Pokemon. As they left, the fire receded as well. Markus and I exchanged a quick glance, before I shrugged and we went after them.

When we caught up, I said, "So, where exactly are we going?"

"To our camp." Axel responded, sternly.

"Calm down and stop being so damn aggressive." Grace said. "They haven't done anything to you, they're just trying to help."

"Then why does the odd one smell like the human who attacked you?" He asked.

I sighed, before saying, "For fuck's sake, do I really still smell like that? It's been almost three fucking months."

At this, the group froze and turned on me.

"So, you admit that it was you?" Axel said, growling.

Before I could answer, Grace said, "Calm down, we will explain when we get home. Now, as I said, stop being so damn aggressive and walk."

He obeyed, albeit reluctantly. Markus and I fell back slightly, to where we weren't within biting distance.

"Why is he being so aggressive and defensive?" I asked Grace.

She sighed, before saying, "He's always like this when it involves me or our children."

"Wait," I said, "he's your mate?"

"Yes." She said. "He is also the leader of our pack."

"Okay then." I said.

We eventually came upon a small shed, with the sole window broken out.

"Here we are." Axel said.

"This shack is your clan's home?" Markus asked. "How does that even work?"

"Just follow me." Axel said, nudging the door open, before entering.

Markus and I entered, followed by the other five Pokemon. The shed itself was completely empty, with nothing but a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, which appeared to be dead, and, along with the rest of the room, was covered in a thick layer of dust.

"Okay," I said, "now where?"

"Right here." Axel said, leaning down towards the floor.

He grabbed a small handle I hadn't noticed previously and pulled it up, revealing that it was connected to a wooden hatch, which he was slowly lifting. When he was finished, he leapt in. I went over to it and saw a set of small steps leading down the black hole. Looking back, I saw the other five Pokemon motioning for me to enter, so I did. I continued down the dark steps until it left off at in a tunnel, about five feet high, causing me to stoop down, with the dirt walls and floor brightly lit by a lantern hanging from the ceiling.

"Woah." I heard Markus say, as he landed behind me.

"Follow." Axle said, before continuing down the tunnel.

As we went, we passed more lanterns, all lit, along with other cave offshoots, but we kept with Axel.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"An old smugglers tunnel." Grace responded. "It was used to keep valuables and contraband safe and hidden until it could be moved. Almost all of these paths lead to a dead end or, in very few cases, a false floor that would open into a large fall."

"That doesn't sound very safe." I said.

"Well, it wasn't." Grace said. "So, we fixed all of the false floors and made sure that everyone in here knew the correct way. Some of these tunnels are so long and have so many other offshoots that you could get lost for days down here."

"Damn." I remarked.

"Yep." Grace said. "But, it worked for the smugglers purpose, or at least it did, until they were caught. Granted, we don't know when that was, but we thank the cops for doing so, as it has given us a nice little home."

"So I see." I said, as I saw a large amount of light around a bend up ahead.

We turned the corner and it opened up into a large cave. We were greeted by hundreds of pairs of eyes locking onto us immediately, all belonging to a Pokemon.

"Damn." I said.

"Continue following." Axel said. "We are going to another cave."

We continued walking, the eyes following us with each step we took. We eventually entered another cave, which was slightly less populated. We followed Axel to a large opening in the cave wall, with what looked to be a moss door, which was being guarded by two Arcanines. He whispered something in one of the canine's ears, who nodded and sprinted off.

"Come on." Axel said, entering the hole.

We followed, leaving the other five Pokemon behind, and ended up in a room that was about as short as the tunnels, with two more holes in the walls.

Axel sat down, before saying, "Please, sit."

Markus and I sat across from the Mightyena, before sitting Grace and her son down as well. Grace sat up and moved over to sit next to Axel, showing some strain, but her son was still unconscious, so Axwel moved him to sit between us.

"I have already sent for one of the clan's doctors." He said. "So, while we wait, why don't you explain what has happened?"

Grace and I told him about Markus and I finding her and her son under attack, and about us helping them, and as we finished, a Ninetails came in.

"Hello," she said, "I have been told that I am needed."

"Yes." Axel said, nodding. "Grace and Mark got into an altercation, and I would like for you to see if they need any medical attention."

"Very well." The Ninetails said, nodding.

She moved over to the unconscious Mark and started nosing at him. Looking closer, I saw that the Ninetails had a large scar running down her face, over her left eye, which was cloudy.

After a few minutes of silence, she raised her head and said, "He does not appear to need any attention, but it may take him a few hours to wake up, after which he may have minor headaches fairly often, but those should go away in a few days."

She turned to Grace, who said, "Don't worry about looking at me, I don't need any attention. I don't feel anything broken or sprained, just a minor headache."

The Ninetails looked like she was about to argue, but seemed to decide against it. Bowing slightly, she left the room without another word.

"Now that that is sorted out," Axel said, "I feel that it may be for the best if you leave. As you could see, the clan isn't too familiar with having outsiders, especially bipedal ones, in here."

I nodded, before saying, "Of course."

As Markus and I got up to leave, Grace said, "Thank you again, Izaak."

I simply nodded, leaving the room, with Markus close behind. Axel followed us out and stopped next to me.

"I will lead you out of the caves." He said. "Come on."

He started retracing our steps, with Markus and I following him. When we were back in the tunnels and out of the caves, he fell back to where he was walking by our side.

"Listen," he said, sighing, "I'm sorry for being so aggressive earlier. I was just really worried about Grace and Mark, and I sorta lost control of my emotions."

"It's alright." I said, waving him off. "I understand. I would be as well if my family was hurt."

"I'm glad that you see where I was coming from." He responded.

We eventually came up into the shed, and, after saying goodbye to Axel, Markus and I left the building.

"So," I said, turning to Markus, "where to now?"

He sighed, before saying, "I don't know. I sort of feel like going home. This has been enough excitement for one night."

"Fair enough." I said.

"You coming?" He asked.

"No, I think I'm gonna go wander around a little." I said. "See if anyone else needs help, I guess."

"Alright." Markus said. "You want the bag?"

"Sure." I replied.

He handed me the bag, which I threw onto my shoulder.

"Can you tell Azura that I'll be home soon?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said. "See you back at the house."

I nodded, and he left back towards the house. Sighing, I started walking randomly. After what felt like an hour or so, I started feeling tired, so I decided to head back. I had only been heading home for a few minutes, when I heard a loud shout. I quickly took off in the direction of the sound, activating Extreme Speed on the way. When I got to the edge of a clearing, I dropped the bag on the ground and silently leapt up onto a tree branch. Looking out through the foliage, I saw five men, all in a fighting stance, with one of them holding a pistol, while the rest merely held batons, glaring across the clearing. On the other side of the clearing, I saw what looked to be an Umbreon-morph curled up into a shaking ball, it's blue rings glowing dully, and it's fur stained with blood, with a familiar face standing in front of the morph, arms spread in a defensive position.  _Arceus damn it, Zach._

"Get the hell out of here kid," the man with the pistol said, "this doesn't concern you."

"I don't care." Zach responded, standing his ground. "I'm not leaving."

The man growled, before saying, "This is you last warning damn it, you morph lover. If you don't leave now, then you'll be leaving in a body bag."

Zach stared him straight in the eye and said, adamantly, "Fuck you."

"It's your choice, kid." The man said, raising his pistol.

 _And now is when I step in._ As soon as the man pulled the trigger, I focused my entire mind into my Psychic ability, hoping that it worked. My concentration paid off, because as soon as the bullet left the barrel of the gun, it froze in midair between the two sides, a glowing purple aura around it. No sooner had I stopped the shot, then had I destroyed the bullet, causing it to crumble to dust, which fell harmlessly to the ground.

"What the fuck?" The man said, the surprise evident on his face and in his voice.

Quickly shaking off the minor headache that I got, I silently jumped down from the tree, landing behind the men.

"So," I said, cracking my knuckles, "who's dying first?"

The men whipped around and all eyes fell on me.

"Well, I'll be damned." One of the men said. "Two freaks in one night. Must be our lucky day."

"That's one way of looking at it." I said, shrugging. "Personally, I see it as your funeral. So, who's first?"

I was quickly answered as the previous man rushed at me, waving his baton wildly. I easily grabbed the weapon and snapped it in half, before delivering a swift kick to his chest, knocking him down. Two more rushed me, but I quickly dispatched them with a swift kick to the stomach each.

"C'mon fuckers," I said, bouncing on the balls of my feet, "a couple of teenagers put up a better fight than you cocksuckers."

The last baton wielding guy dashed at me, actually managing to nail me on the shoulder, before I brought him to the ground with his friends, leaving just their leader for me to take out. Looking up, I saw, to my horror, that he had grabbed Zach, and was currently holding him, his arm around his neck and Zach's back to his chest, with the barrel of the gun pointed at his head.  _Fuck._

"One step closer and the kid dies." The man said.

"Let him go." I said. "Now."

"Come over here and make me, freak." He said, before laughing.

I quickly dashed over to the man and grabbed his hand, forcing the gun from it, which I easily caught.

"Never fuck with my friends." I said, before pointing the gun at the man's leg and pulling the trigger.

The shot rang out and the bullet left the barrel, hitting his leg almost instantly and tearing through it. He released Zach, his arms shooting to his legs, but I grabbed one on the way down. I twisted his arm, before delivering a swift blow to his forearm, causing the sound of bone cracking to be heard through the clearing. He dropped to the ground, tears rolling down his face, and his friends, having already picked themselves up off of the ground, dashed over to him, dropping to their knees.

One looked up at me, fear in his eyes, but I simply said, "Leave. Now."

They quickly picked up their friend and retreated through the trees. Looking at the gun in my hand, I slipped it into the back of my jeans, unsure of what to do with it. I turned to see Zach staring at me, eyes wide.

"Holy shit." He said.

"Calm down, Zach." I said. "I'm not going to hurt you or anything."

He froze, before saying, "How in the hell do you know my name?"

"C'mon," I said, chuckling slightly, "I save your ass from a Houndoom, yet you can't even manage to remember my name."

"Wait," he said, confused, "Izaak?"

"Yep." I said. Walking past him, I said, "Now c'mon, we've got a morph to check on."

I went over to the Umbreon and knelt down at him. He was still curled up in a ball, shaking.

"Hey, calm down." I said, lightly patting him. "They're gone, you're safe." Instead of relaxing, he just seemed to become even more tense, so I said, "Listen, could you at least let me check your injuries. I want to make sure you aren't seriously hurt."

At this he seemed to relax slightly, so he uncurled and looked at me, but what I saw horrified me. In the center of his forehead was a cracked blue gem, similar to an Espeon's, but, upon looking at his eyes, I saw that they seemed to be burned or fused shut, with heavy scarring covering the lids and surrounding parts of his face.

"Holy shit." I said, taken aback.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Zach groaned.

Looking over his shirtless torso, I saw a lot of scarring, most of it looking fairly old, with only a few newer looking injuries.

"Okay," I said, "can you turn over, please?"

He complied, flipping onto his stomach. Oddly enough, I saw two long, black tails stretching from his backside, both ending in a fork with a ring at the fork's base. Looking up his back, I saw an extremely large gash, stretching up from his left hip diagonally until it hit his right shoulder.

"Okay," I said, "I need you to hold completely still for me. This may hurt some, but I promise I'm just trying to help you."

He nodded, so I bent closer to the gash and poked it lightly, causing him to wince in pain.  _Alright, no nerve damage, so it isn't too deep._ Looking closer, I saw some minor scar tissue beginning to form, but I could still tell that the gash wasn't very deep.

"Alright, good." I said. "That cut's not too deep, so I won't have to stitch it, but I do need to wrap it in some bandage." Turning to Zach, I said, "I've got a bag over there, at the base of a tree. Can you get it for me?"

He nodded, before running into the trees, leaving me sitting with the Umbreon.

"So," I said, "do you want tell me your name?"

He flipped over, before sitting up and facing me, almost as if he was staring at me.

"S-Sylva," he said, fumbling slightly, "my name is Sylva."

"Well Sylva," I said, "I'm Izaak, and the other guy is Zach. It's nice to meet you."

Then, without thinking, I stuck my hand out. Realizing what I was doing, I started pulling my hand back, but, to my surprise, he grabbed it and shook it.  _What the hell? How did he know what I was doing?_  We both retracted our hand, mine slower than his.

After a few seconds, he said, "You look confused."

Shocked, I said, "Um, yeah. How'd you know that?"

He was about to answer, when Zach came back, the bag in his hands.

"Here you go." He said, sitting it down next to me.

"Thanks." I said, unzipping it. Finding the bandages, I pulled them out, turning to Sylva and saying, "Alright, once again, this may hurt, but I'll try to keep from it doing so. Just hold still."

He nodded, so I began wrapping the bandages around his torso, careful not to put too much pressure on the wound. When I was done, I put the bandages back in the bag.

"Alright, that's the best I can do right now," I said, "but the wound needs to be cleaned as soon as possible."

"Hey, Izaak," Zach said, getting my attention, "I should probably get going home now. I mean, it's past midnight, and my parents are probably worried about me."

"Alright," I said, "it was nice seeing you again."

"Yeah, you too." He replied. "Thanks for saving my ass again."

"No problem." I said, as he left through the trees. Turning back to Sylva, I said, "So, what brings you to these woods?"

"I'd prefer to not talk about it right now, if it's alright with you." He said.

"Of course, man," I responded, "I won't press if you don't want me to."

"Thanks." He said. "Hey, do you have any water? My throat's killing me."

"Yeah, give me a second." I said, starting to dig through the bag. Finding a bottle of water, I gave it to him, saying "Here you go."

"Thanks." He said, before uncapping it and downing half of the bottle in one drink.

Chuckling, I said, "Damn, you really were thirsty."

"Yep." He said. "Hey, thanks for helping me, but I really should be going. It's probably not a good idea for me to be living in this forest for too long."

Thinking quickly, I said, "Well, there is another option."

"What?" He asked.

"You could come and live with my friends and I." I suggested.

"What do you mean?" He asked, a slight hint of curiosity in his voice.

Sighing, I said, "Well, we live in this large house, out here in the forest, away from humans. It's sort of like a safe place for morphs. Would you like to live with us?"

"I don't know," he said, "I've never really lived with a lot of people before."

"It isn't too many." I said. "It's just myself, my girlfriend, and four others, so it isn't extremely crowded or anything." Still seeing the uncertainty etched into his face, I said, "C'mon man, you'll fit in perfectly. And besides, it'd be better than living on your own."

Sylva sat there for a few seconds, silent, before saying, "Sure, I guess I'll come. I mean, it's not like I'll be the weirdest guy living there, with your half species thing going on."

I laughed, before saying, "Hey man, keep in mind that you're still some fraction. And for the record, you really need to tell me how you can see all of this."

"How about I do that when we're at your house, out of any possible danger?" He said.

"I agree." I said, standing up.

Sylva tried to stand, but quickly fell back down.

"Shit." He said, hitting the ground.

"You alright?" I asked, picking up the backpack and putting it on.

"Yeah," he said, sighing, "probably just a combination of blood loss, and not sleeping in a few days, and not eating in even more."

"Can you walk?" I asked.

"Yeah, I should be able to." He said, rising up again. He was met with the same result, falling onto his ass, saying, "Fuck."

"Okay, you aren't going to be able to walk like that." I said.

"Well, what other options do you have?" He asked.

I thought for a second, completely stumped, until an idea suddenly popped into my head. Grinning widely, I stepped closer to Sylva.

Looking up at me, Sylva said, "Why am I almost positive that I don't like whatever idea you just got?"

Instead of responding, I bent down next to him, before lifting him into my arms.

"Woah!" He yelled, flailing slightly. "Dude, what the hell?"

Beginning to walk towards the house, I said, "Well, you obviously can't walk right now, and we certainly aren't waiting there, so I came up with another solution."

"Oh." He said, leaning his head into my chest, before mumbling out, "Thanks."

I continued walking, Sylva in my arms, and after a few minutes I heard his breathing steady, and heard light breathing coming from him. Looking down, I saw that he had fallen asleep.  _Holy shit, he really was exhausted._ I eventually got home, and managed to open the door without waking Sylva up. I entered the house, closing the door behind me. As the door closed, Azura came out of the living room, a tired look on her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but, upon seeing Sylva, she froze.

"I'll explain in a second." I mouthed out, before walking past her and into the living room.

I gently sat Sylva on the couch, before going back into the foyer with Azura.

"Who is that?" She asked immediately.

"I'm not quite sure." I said, sighing. "I found him being attacked by some assholes, so I helped him out. Afterwards, I bandaged him up, he told me his name was Sylva, and then we came back here."

"Why were you carrying him?" She asked.

"He couldn't walk." I said. "He was too exhausted, so I carried him here."

Sighing, Azura said, "I assume that you already offered him a place to stay?"

"Yeah." I said. "Why, am I not allowed to do that?"

"No, it doesn't really matter, although Rell may be slightly pissed about it at first." She said. "So, if he's sleeping in there, what about us?"

I sighed, thinking, before saying, "I guess you could ask Midnight to sleep in her room for tonight, and we can think of something in the morning."

"But what about you?" She asked.

"I'll think of something." I said.

"Alright, but what if Midnight starts asking questions?" Azura asked.

"Just tell her that it'll be explained in the morning." I replied.

"Okay." She said. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Yeah, me too." I said.

"Goodnight." Azura said, wrapping her arms around me.

I was about to reply, when I felt her hand hit something in the back of my jeans.  _Fuck. I forgot about that._

Pulling away, she said, "Izaak, what did I just hit?"

Reaching behind me, I pulled the pistol from the back of my pants. I showed it to Azura, and she let out a gasp of shock.

"Where the hell did you get that?" She asked.

"I got it from one of the assholes." I said. "I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do with it, though."

"It'd probably be best if you hang on to it." Azura said, surprising me. "I mean, it'd be better than just throwing it out and someone finding it and hurting themselves or someone else."

I sighed, before saying, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I should probably hide it in my bag."

"Probably." She said. Hugging me again, she said, "Goodnight. I love you."

Hugging her back, being careful with the gun, I said, "I love you too. Goodnight."

We let go and she began walking up the stairs. When she disappeared from my view, I went into the living room and put the gun in my bag next to the TV. Looking over, I saw that Sylva was still asleep. Not able to think of anything else, I laid down on the floor in front of the couch to go to sleep.

* * *

I woke up, still on the floor, but now with a sore back. I sat up, looking around, and seeing that Sylva was still asleep on the couch. I reached over and shook him lightly, but he barely stirred.

"Hey, Sylva," I said, shaking him slightly rougher, "wake up dude, it's morning."

This time, he jerked away slightly. He looked around franticly, before calming down.

"Oh, morning Izaak." He said. "Sorry about that, I don't really like people sneaking up on me and touching me. So, I take it that this is the house?"

"Yep." I said, standing. "You want some breakfast?"

"Uh, sure." He said, standing as well. "But, is there a shirt somewhere that I could wear? I don't really enjoy not being completely clothed."

"Yeah, sure." I said, bending down and reaching into my bag.

As I pulled out one of my shirts, I gently brushed against the gun, reminding me to do something with it. I threw the shirt to Sylva, who caught it easily.

"I swear," I said, "you have got to tell me how in the hell you do that."

"Later." He said, pulling the shirt on. "So, what are you gonna do about that gun?"

I sighed, saying, "I don't fucking know. But right now, I'm pretty hungry and you haven't eaten in a while, so let's deal with that first."

"Agreed." He said, just as his stomach growled.

"Can you actually walk now?" I asked.

"I should be able to." He responded.

He took a step forward, and I prepared myself to catch him if needed, but he didn't even begin to fall.

"Alright, that's good." I said. "C'mon, let's head to the kitchen."

We left the living room, Sylva following me, and went to the kitchen.  _Good, no one's awake. I'll need some time to think of how I should explain Sylva to the others._

"I'll go ahead and make some coffee first." I said. "Do you drink it?"

"Um, no, I've never had coffee before." He replied.

"Well then, you can try some today." I said, starting to make it. "You can just sit on the island while I cook."

"Thanks." He said, hopping up onto the island.

As the coffee maker started, I asked, "So, do you want anything specific for breakfast?"

"I don't really care," Sylva responded, shrugging, "just so long as it doesn't have gluten in it."

"Do you have celiac or something?" I asked, walking over to the fridge.

"I guess." He responded. "I don't know what that is, but let's just say yes."

I laughed, before saying, "Celiac is an extreme gluten intolerance, which can cause massive issues in people if they eat any." Looking in the fridge, I said, "And, unfortunately, pretty much all we have that is safe and a normal breakfast food is eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheese. How do you feel about omelets?"

"Sure, I guess." He said.

"Alright." I said, getting out everything I needed. "Thankfully, dinner shouldn't be as much of a problem, as we always seem to have corn and rice here. Granted, that is most likely due to the fact that I don't cook it much, but that is actually coming in handy now."

"Why do you know so much about this stuff?" He asked, as I went over to the stove.

"My mother." I said. "She was the same way, so we pretty much only ever had gluten free food in the house."

I started cooking, neither of us talking, and when the coffee was done, I got us each some, before finishing up breakfast.

"Here," I said, handing Sylva his plate, "since it's just us awake right now, we can just eat in here."

"Alright." He said, taking a bite of his food.

"So," I started, leaning up against the counter, "how exactly can you see?"

"Okay," he said, "you know how Lucarios have Aura Sight, letting them see auras and emotions?"

"Yeah." I said, nodding.

"Well, I have a variation of that." He said. "But, instead of auras and emotions, I can see legitimate physical objects, so instead of being completely blind, I can actually see through walls and shit."

"That is extremely cool." I said, taking a bite of my food.

"I guess." He said, shrugging. "Cool or not, it has proven to be extremely useful in multiple occasions."

"Yeah, I imagine." I said.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps start down the stairs. Freezing, I listened to them descend, until they hit the foyer floor.

"Hey, anyone awake yet?" I heard Rell yell.

"Yeah, in the kitchen." I responded.

Rell entered seconds later, yawning widely.

"Morning Izaak." He said. Noticing Sylva, he froze, before saying, "Um, hello."

I waited for Sylva to respond, but he seemed to freeze, so I said, "Rell, this is Sylva."

At this, Sylva seemed to snap back to reality.

"Oh, right." He said. "Hello."

"Hey. I'm Rell." Rell said. "Um, anyway, I was just curious as to if anyone was actually awake yet. I'm gonna head back upstairs and take a shower now. See-yah."

"Have fun." I said, waving as Rell left the room. As I heard his footsteps retreat up the stairs, I turned to Sylva, before saying, "Well, that was fucking awkward. Dude, what was with that? You just froze."

"Right, sorry." He said. "I just don't do too well around new people."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "You didn't act like that with me."

"Well, that was because you kind of saved my life." He said. "So, that sort of made me warm up to you a bit, I guess."

"Fair enough." I said, sighing. "Just please try to keep that from happening when I introduce you to the others."

"I'll try my best." He responded.

"Good." I said. "Now, you should probably hurry up and eat. I imagine that you'd want to shower, seeing as you have blood stuck in your fur, and if you hurry, you may be able to do so before the others wake up."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, this chapter actually contains a character that isn't mine. Sylva actually belongs to the FFnet user Sylvas. Anyway, I advise that you check him out if you use the site, as he rights some good stories, despite infrequent updates. But, yeah, the OC Sylva belongs to him, and not me.


	7. That Truly Was Beautiful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel that I should put some warnings to this chapter.
> 
> Warning: this chapter may make you hungry.
> 
> Secondary Warning: If you don't like exposition, fuck off now, because this chapter is a lot of exposition via dialogue.
> 
> Enjoy.

 

* * *

**That Truly Was Beautiful**

I was sitting on the roof of the house, which I had gotten to through a hatch in the ceiling of the gym, just watching the snow fall in silence, the setting sun causing the individual flakes to sparkle with an intense beauty. The first snowfall of the year had occurred on November second, shortly before midnight, and with the snow came much colder weather. I wasn't exactly freezing when I went out, but at night, such as right now, it got down to twenty or lower, so we tended to not leave the house too much after sundown. I heard footsteps behind me, and I knew without even looking who it was.

"Hey." I greeted.

"Hey." She replied, sitting down next to me.

"What's up?" I asked, as she leaned over and rested her light blue head on my shoulder.

I wrapped my arm around her as she said, "You know what's up. I'm worried about you. You've spent all day up here, not even coming down to eat, and you know that that isn't healthy. The others are worried about you, as well."

"Az, you know why I'm up here." I said, using the nickname I had given her.

"I assumed that that was the reason." She said. "But, I thought that you said that you were over it, y'know, that I didn't bother you too much."

I sighed, before saying, "Yeah, and I thought that I had. I mean, for fucks sake, I had five years of solitude to come to terms with it, and I really thought that I had."

"Then what's caused you to feel this way about it?" She asked.

"I don't know." I said, sighing. "I doubt that it's just because of what day it is, it seems to hurt too much to have that as the sole reason. I honestly think that it's partially due to the fact that spending time here with you guys, being a real family, has sort of reopened the wound, and salted it at the same time."

"That's a nice little analogy." She said.

"Thanks." I said.

"So, I also came up here to ask if you want to come eat dinner." She said. "Rell and Midnight cooked it, and it actually looks like real food."

"Sure." I said, as we both stood up.

We started back to the hatch, but as we got there, I put my hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

She turned to me, a curious look on her face, and I said, "Azura, I think I'm ready." Her expression changed to one of confusion, so I said, "I think I'm ready to tell them."

"Alright." she said, understandingly. We started to enter the house, and as we did, she said, "And Izaak?" I looked at her, and she said, "I want you to know that I'll be there for you, no matter what their reaction." I nodded, and she continued, "I also want you to know that I'm proud of you."

"Thank you." I said, wrapping my arms around her in a deep hug.

We dropped down into the gym, with me going first. I landed on the floor, having actually dropped, as there was no ladder for some reason, and I caught Azura in my arms as she fell. I sat her down and we left the room, before starting downstairs. We entered the dining room, which was currently populated by Sylva, Markus, and Alice. I could feel their eyes following me as Azura and I sat down in our usual spots, with the addition of Sylva sitting on Azura's other side.

Markus opened his mouth to ask me something, and I, anticipating what it was, held my hand up, silencing him, as I said, "Wait. I'll explain when the others are present."

This appeared to stave off his question, as he closed his mouth and just sat there. After a few more minutes of silence, Rell and Midnight entered, Midnight holding a stack of plates and Rell holding a large glass dish. They sat their load down, and I looked in the pan, recognizing the form of lasagna that I taught Rell how to make.

"What's with the food?" Alice asked. "I thought that Sylva couldn't eat gluten."

"It doesn't use real noodles." Rell explained, as he and Midnight sat down. "It uses thinly sliced zucchini, instead."

"Will it taste any different?" Markus asked.

"I don't know." Rell said, unsure. "I've just recently learned how to make it, so I've never had it."

At this, he looked at me for an explanation, and I said, "Not too much, if at all. It will taste similar to if it was normal."

Rell nodded in response, and began passing out plates and food. We ate in silend, but I could feel the curiosity about what caused my actions today pressing down on us like a weight. When everyone was almost done eating, I felt Azura nudge my arm. I looked over and saw her staring at me expectantly. I nodded, before beginning to rise.  _Well, it's now or never._

When I was standing, I cleared my throat, gaining everyone's attention, before saying, "So, I imagine that you are curious about my uncharacteristic behavior today, correct?"

No one answered, so, after a few seconds, Sylva said, "Well, yeah, to be honest. You just spent all day on the roof, and we sorta got worried about you."

I sighed, before saying, "Well, I have a valid reason for this, which Azura has asked that I share with you, so I shall." I sighed heavily, before continuing, "The reason is, that today, November thirteenth, is my nineteenth birthday." I could tell that they were about to say something, probably some form of congratulation, but I held my hand up, stopping them, before saying, "But, it is also the sixth anniversary of the murder of parents."

I could feel a heavy shock descend on the room, as everyone froze.

After multiple minutes, Rell composed himself, to say, "What?"

I sighed, before launching into the story of the past six years of my life, beginning with my kidnapping and my parent's death, and ending when Azura found me in the tree. When I was done, there were shocked expressions etched onto the faces of everyone in the room, save for me and Azura.

After a few seconds, Midnight said, "Wow. That's, um, that's deep."

I shrugged in response, and said, "Yes, well that would be the woes of Izaak Ryuto."

"Yeah, I guess." She replied.

I simply nodded in return, and Markus asked, "So, why did you take so long to tell us?"

I sighed, before saying, "Well, it obviously still hurt to talk about, which is why the only one that I told was Azura, and then there's also the fact that I was frightened as to what your reactions would be."

"What do you mean 'scared by our reactions'?" Rell asked. "How did you expect us to react?"

"Well, honestly," I said, "I assumed that you would pity me, or possibly feel sorrow for me, which is not what I want. I got over it a while ago, so now it's no more than a scar, left to heal."

Rell just nodded slowly, seeming to understand what I meant.

We sat in an awkward silence for multiple minutes, in which I returned to my seat, followed by Azura resting her head on my shoulder, but the silence was broken by Rell clearing his throat.

"So," he said, looking around the table, "do you think that we should tell him?"

I looked at him, confused, as Markus said, "What, you mean like a family share time thing?"

Rell nodded, and Azura said, "Fuck it, I'm game."

"Very well." Rell said, nodding. He rose from his chair, saying, "I guess that I'll go first."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, completely lost.

"Well," Rell explained, "you told us your story, so we shall return the trust."

I nodded in response, understanding now.

He cleared his throat, before beginning, "I've been a morph since I turned twelve, so that would be seven years. Unlike others, there was no wait, no gradual change. I just woke up one day and I was an Arcanine. Obviously, I was shocked at the discovery, as were my father and my sister, but they were accepting, nonetheless. I continued to try to live a normal life, y'know, going to school, having friends; all that shit, but that all changed when this occurred. I quickly discovered just how racist the wonderful people of our local small town, Cyleton could be. When I went to school the next day, I was immediately mocked and discriminated against, by both my peers and my teachers. I quickly lost all of my friends, and became a social outcast. I ended up fighting through the rest of middle school, along with my freshman year of high school, but that all came to an abrupt end. After I lost all of my friends, my sister became the only person my age that would speak to me, and she even left all of her friends that mocked me. We were hanging out in the local park when some assholes from my school came by. At the time, they had no idea that she was my sister, as they had never seen us together, so they simply assumed that she was my secret girlfriend, despite her being three years younger than me. So, they started insulting her, calling her things such as 'whore' and 'freak fucker'. I didn't take kindly to this, so I confronted them, something I had never done before. The confrontation quickly turned into a fight, and, when the dust settled, I was untouched, while one of them had a busted nose and the other a broken arm. After that, things took a turn for the worst. People started try to have a petition signed to kick me out of town, yet it never worked, as there were just enough people still on my side to prevent it from being filled up. But it didn't stop there. A little under a year later, during the summer after my freshman year, when I was fifteen, I got into another issue, this one ending much more seriously. We were just getting home from going out to eat for my sister's thirteenth birthday, at one of the only places in town that still allowed me to enter; yet, when we got home, we found a teenager, the very same one who's arm I had broken, with a can of spray paint, at our house, just finishing up a message of 'rot in hell, freak'. He ended up bailing before we could get him, but I confronted him about a week later, this time at the local playground. He had apparently started working out since our last encounter, so his friends sat back, expecting him to able to take any fight that happened between us. I went to him and he started insulting my family again, as he had discovered that that was what truly got to me. Things quickly got ugly. A fight broke out, and when all was done, I had lost a tooth, while he had once again received a broken arm, but this time it was accompanied by a busted nose, and multiple third degree burns, covering about sixty percent of his body. This caused my infamy in town to skyrocket. They started another petition, but this one with a different punishment. Euthanization. It was claimed that my becoming a morph turned me into a wild animal, and that I was a threat to society. We knew that, even if the petition wasn't passed, someone would act on it anyway, and we were positive that there would be no repercussions, so we had two choices; wait for the inevitable, or flee the city. We chose the latter. My father had played his cards right early in life, investing in a medical supply company, one that some of you may have heard of, known as Ryuto Industries."

At this, I was actually shocked.

"Wait a minute," I said, interrupting, "so your father invested in my parents' company?"

Rell nodded, saying, "Yes. It was apparently a fairly hefty investment, as he makes a fair amount of money from it, more than enough to live on."

"Wait a minute." Alice said. "You didn't include the whole 'son of millionaires' part into your story. How come?"

I just shrugged, and said, "I just didn't see any need to mention it. I mean, hell, we lived in a cabin in these woods, when we could have lived in a mansion in the Orange Islands. We enjoyed living simple lives. I mean, my sister and I got to get new shit, like phones and computers, but we didn't like to flaunt our wealth, hence why very few people even knew of our home."

"Wait," Markus said, "but doesn't that mean that your technically a millionaire now, as well."

"Yes, since they are dead, the money did technically go to myself and my sister," I replied, "but, as I am dead to the world, I have nothing to do with it."

"Now," Rell said, "if you are all done with the conversation, I will continue. After all, I am almost done with my story."

I nodded, and said, "Go right ahead."

He nodded, and continued, "So, my father used some of his wealth to hire an out of country construction company to build this home, and, after they signed a contract, agreeing to tell no one, this house was built and furnished. I moved in shortly after, with my father using an excuse that I had moved to Kanto to live with some relatives. So are the origins of, as Azura calls it, Casa de Pokemorph."

With that, he sat down. We all looked awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

After multiple seconds, Markus raised his hand, and said, "I can go next, if no one else wants to go." No one responded, so he rose and began, "Well, it started when I was twelve. I woke up one morning and saw that I had grown some fur on my body. Not knowing how to tell my family, or what their reactions would be for that matter, I kept silent, covering it up with my clothes. I ended up hiding it for a while until things escalated. As in, 'Force Palming a basketball through a concrete wall' escalated. After that, questions popped up, which I was able to avoid up until about a week before my fourteenth birthday, when I woke up one morning to find that I was a complete morph. I sat in my room for hours, trying to think of a way to explain it to my family, until my mother barged in my room. She saw me, and promptly flipped shit. My family, along with the rest of the town, immediately began hating me, so, not wanting to put up with their shit, I bailed as soon as possible, and began wandering around the country"

"Until I found you." Rell pointed out.

"Yep." Markus agreed. "You wanna take over this part, seeing as you'll probably know more about it than me?"

Rell shrugged in response, then said, "Sure, why not. Well, by this time I was sixteen, and my family had started visiting me fairly often, as I began getting extremely lonely. So, one day, my dad told me about him hearing a few guys at the gas station talk about an odd site that they had seen while camping around here. They mentioned that they had seen an extremely humanoid Lucario wandering around and, thinking that it was going to attack them, one of them pulled out the small pistol that they had brought for protection and nailed it in the arm, which caused it to flee. My dad immediately knew that they had actually seen a morph, and just not recognized it, so he warned me to keep an eye out. And, as luck should have it, that very same day, at about midnight, I heard a knock on the door. I answered to find a semi-starved Lucario on the doorstep, a small bullet hole in his arm. I allowed him in and, as soon as his feet hit the floor, his body soon followed, as he collapsed, unconscious. So, I carried him into the bedroom, as, at the time, this place only consisted of the bottom floor, with the dining room and kitchen being the same room, and what is currently the kitchen was a bed room with a bunk bed, and put him on the bottom bunk. I then used my wonderfully shitty medical skills to pull the bullet and stitch him up, which possibly saved his life."

As he finished, Markus sat down. There was, once again, a silence, as we all looked around, waiting for the next person to rise.

Finally, Midnight sighed, and said, "Hey Azura, you wanna take our story? You know I'm no good at story telling."

"Sure." Azura said, standing up.

"Oh, so I finally get to hear your mystical life story, do I?" I said, sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up." Azura said, elbowing me in the head. I chuckled, and she began, "Well, Midnight and I never really knew our parents, as I was only one and she was barely a few months old when they left us on the steps of an orphanage. So, we spent our life circulating in foster homes and orphanages, until, one day, when Midnight was twelve and I was thirteen, Midnight awoke to find some lavender fur growing on her."

"Y'know," Midnight interrupted, "thinking back on the time of year, this was actually around Markus's birthday as well."

"Yeah, I guess." Azura said, shrugging, before continuing her story, "Anyway, I immediately knew what this was, as I had read up on morph a lot, as I was slightly, I guess enthralled, at the concept of a Pokemorph. This also meant that I knew what to expect when she finished her transformation, so we left town and began wandering around, doing what we could to survive. After multiple months, Midnight finally finished her transformation, so that presented another issue. I ended up getting her some clothes to hide in, being a black hoodie and black jeans. She started hiding whenever I went out to beg for food or cash. So, one day, Midnight was discovered, so we quickly ran from town, where we ended up in these woods, where we were lost for days. We eventually had a run in with a pissed of Tauros. I remember that it was in October, because it was one of those weird years when it started snowing about halfway through the month. We were in a clearing, Midnight wearing her hiding clothes just in case we found someone, when suddenly it leapt from the bushes, extremely angry. It charged at us, but I managed to tackle Midnight out of the way, but it nailed my leg, which, while it didn't break it or anything, I couldn't move very well for a while. So, we were cornered at a tree, and we were scared as hell."

As Azura told of the Tauros encounter, images kept flashing in my mind, a memory of a fight between myself and a Tauros.

"So, the bull charged at us-" Azura began, but I cut her off.

"And you threw yourself in front of Midnight." I interrupted, all eyes turning to me. "The bull continued charging at you, and you were ready to take a horn to save your sister, but the Tauros was suddenly thrown off balance by a kid dashing at it and nailing it in the side with a stick. The force of the hit caused the bull to skid away on the snow, and hit a tree. The kid rushed over to you, wanting to make sure that there were no injuries, but he was intercepted as the bull got back up and charged him nailing him in the side. The kid shook it off fairly well and charged for the Pokemon again, but it whipped around and nailed him with a kick in his jaw, knocking him down. The kid jumped back up, spit out a couple of teeth, and, ignoring the blood pouring from his mouth, charged it again, nailing the bull directly in the eye with the stick. This stunned the Tauros enough for the kid to make sure that you two were all right, and then he continued with the fight. He eventually ended it after legitimately shoving the stick into the Tauros's eye socket. But, when he spun around to help you, you had already disappeared, and all he saw were two forked tail, retreating through the trees."

"Y-yeah." Azura said, the surprise evident in her voice. "How did you know?"

I chuckled, before saying, "Because I've got the two holes where molars go to prove that that motherfucker's kick feels like a bag of bricks."

"What?" Azura asked, confused.

"What's the matter?" I asked. "Did you think that I would forget? Memories of losing two teeth two protect two random girls, one of which had purple fur poking out from under her hood, don't tend to fade quickly."

"Wait, that was you?" Midnight asked.

"Yep." I said, nodding. "That was a few weeks before shit hit the fan for me. I was off fucking around in here, when I heard you guys scream. I mean, if you don't believe me, I already told you that I have the proof."

I opened my mouth wide, showing off the large gap at the back of the left side of my mouth where two teeth belong.

"That's kinda fucking weird." Azura said. "I honestly can't believe that we met you prior to this."

I shrugged, saying, "Well, there is a difference between 'met' and 'had a brief, life saving encounter with', but we can leave it at met. Anyway, continue your story, I'm curious as to where you disappeared to."

"Right." Azura said, clearing her throat. "Once again, this next part would probably best be told by Rell, as he had a lot of involvement. So, if you would."

"Very well." Rell said, nodding. "So, I as well heard the scream, as Markus and I were out wandering around, bored as hell. So, we took off running to the screams and, lo and behold, we find a young Izaak in a standoff with a Tauros, but, behind his defensive stance, were two girls huddled together on the ground. So, acting quickly, Markus and I extracted them and brought them back here, where we discovered that Midnight was a morph. So, we decided to let Midnight stay and, after a lot of demanding and threatening on their part, we allowed Azura to stay as well. But, this proved to be an issue, as we didn't have enough room, and we now had the added problem of their being two different sexes in the room. So, my dad decided to have the second floor added, and he allowed me to help with the design this time, which is the main reason that we have the gym and recreational room. So, while the expansion was occurring, we obviously had to continue living here, so, with Markus and I being the gentlemen that we are, allowed them to take the bunks while we slept in the floor and couch of the living room."

"And then," Azura added, "as luck should have it, about a month before the construction finished, I started becoming a morph. Which, while others would see this as a disaster, I loved it, as I had always loved the idea of being a morph, and it finally allowed me to be a morph with my sister."

As Azura finished, she sat down, and placed her head back on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her and she nuzzled her head up closer to me. Now, all eyes fell on Alice and Sylva.

"So, who's next?" Markus asked.

"Sylva, how about you?" I asked. "I mean, pretty much all we know about you is that you hate bread, have freaky sight, and are fairly antisocial, granted you seem to be improving slightly."

"I don't know, I guess I can go." He said. "I mean, there's not too much to tell."

"Well, still," I said, "go ahead."

"Alright." He said, rising. "Well, I can't actually remember anything up until a few years ago, but I guess I can tell what I know."

"What do you mean, you don't remember?" Midnight asked.

"I don't know, I just can't remember anything, it's all extremely fuzzy." He replied. "But, I guess I'll start. So, just like Izaak, I was actually captured by a group of scientists, but they were slightly more fucked up. Instead of trying to find a cure for becoming a morph, they decided to see if they could make it happen faster. I can't really remember what their reasoning was, but I do remember them mentioning something about trying to extract morph DNA and add it to humans to try and make some super soldier, or some shit. Anyway, they ended up getting a little too ahead of themselves, so they decided to try and use me as some fucked up science experiment. They decided to try and splice some Espeon DNA into my Umbreon DNA to make a perfect fifty-fifty combination, but, as you can tell, it didn't work. I was then freed, and began wandering around."

"So how'd you get all of your injuries?" I asked.

"Well," he began, "the eyes I'm actually not sure about. I just woke up one day and I couldn't see. It took me a few weeks to discover that I could use my psychic power to see, and it took me even longer to be able to use it very well. The throat scars come from a nice little encounter with a shock collar, and the giant gash and other cuts you saw mostly came from my horrid luck with wild Pokemon."

"Damn." I said. "That sounds rough."

He just shrugged in response. All of our eyes fell on Alice.

"Don't worry," Rell said, wrapping his arm around Alice caringly, "I know that your life's rough, so if you don't want to tell them, you don't have to."

"No," Alice said, rising, "I've only ever spoken of it once. I'll never learn to live with it if I don't tell anyone."

"Alright," Rell said, "I guess you have a point."

Alice sighed, before beginning, "Well, unlike you guys, I originated as a Pokemon, rather than a human. I don't know how, but I just suddenly became a morph one day. I had evolved from a Vulpix a few months prior to this, which warranted a large celebration from the clan, as my father was the leader of our clan. So, I woke up one morning to find that I was a morph. My whole clan despised me for it, and started blaming my parents for it. So, my father did all that he could think to do: imprison me." At this, I could tell that she started to fight back tears, but she pushed on, "So, he had my uncle and my cousin keep guard over me. After a while of me being starved and beaten, they stepped up the punishment. They began raping me. Every day, I was used as the clan whore, and I was raped until I couldn't stand. The only upside is that they made sure to keep me from being pregnant, which would have made what I did to escape much more difficult. One night, I had had enough, so I snuck and broke out of my cell. My cousin and uncle came after me, but I kept running. Eventually, I got tired from lack of proper nutrition, so they caught me. I fought them off, but eventually I started losing, so I did all that I could think of: I killed them." At this, gasps of shock rang out from everyone except for Rell, Sylva, and myself, but she continued nonetheless, "So, once I did that, I limped away. I eventually found an empty camp site and, knowing how humans work, I stole some of their clothes and food, along with using some of their bandages to fix myself up, to some extent. So, about a year before you got here, Izaak, I was wandering around, when Rell and Azura stumbled on me. So, I moved in and started trying to forget my past." As she sat down, she said, "I hope that telling this to you all will help me do so."

After this, we all sat there, an awkward silence covering the table like a blanket.

After multiple minutes, Rell said, "So, since all of that depressing material is out of the way, why don't we get to our normal birthday celebration?"

"Alright." Azura said, standing up. "I'll get it, seeing as I have something else to get, as well."

"I assume that it's what you enlisted my help in." Midnight said.

"Yep." Azura replied, heading into the kitchen.

I looked at Rell, confused, and he explained, "We have a tradition that we do here for every birthday that happens. As to what she means by 'something else', I'm just as confused as you."

Accepting the explanation, I said, "Y'know, this actually brings something to my attention. Sylva, when exactly is your birthday?"

He just shrugged, and said, "I don't really know, to be quite honest. I mean, as I told you, I can't remember anything past a few years ago."

We suddenly heard Azura yell, "Hey, Midnight, can you come help? I don't have enough hands."

"Coming." Midnight responded, before rising and going into the kitchen.

They returned a few seconds later, Azura with a large plastic dish with a lid and a stack of pates on it, and Midnight with what I recognized to be a bottle of whiskey and eight shot glasses.

"Alcohol?" I asked Rell, as they sat what they were holding down, and returned to their seats.

"Yep." Rell said, grabbing the glasses and the bottle. "We take a shot every birthday we have."

"Isn't that normally a twenty first birthday celebration?" I pointed out.

"Yeah, but we don't really care." Rell replied, taking the cap off of the bottle. He started filling each of the glasses, saying, "I mean, I see nothing against it. Granted, I doubt that my dad would be happy about it, so when you meet him, shut the fuck up about it or I'll char your ass."

"When are we meeting him, anyway?" I asked, as Rell began passing shots to everyone.

"I don't know," he replied, "he'll come over on Christmas, so if not before then, that's when."

He went to hand Sylva his shot, but he moved away, saying, "Doesn't whiskey have gluten in it?"

"That depends on who you ask." I said. "Some say yes, but most say no. That, and most gluten intolerant people can actually handle whiskey without any issue, so long as they don't down a bottle in one sitting." He continued looking at it reluctantly, so I said, "C'mon man, just take it. Tell you what, if it does effect you, I'll let you personally kick my ass."

Sylva sighed, before accepting the glass, saying, "Fine, I guess. Just stay true to your promise, just in case."

I accepted my shot, and Rell said, "So, have you ever actually had alcohol before, Izaak?"

"A few times, yeah." I answered. "I've never gotten full blown drunk or anything, but I've had a few beers in my life."

"I'm not even going into how irresponsible it is for a thirteen year old to drink." Azura said, sighing.

"Hey, don't get me started on teenage irresponsibility." I said, smirking.

"Oh, shut up." Azura replied, elbowing me.

I chuckled as the others accepted their shots.

"So," Rell asked, "who wants to lead the toast?"

"I could." Azura said. Turning to me, she said, "That alright with you?"

"Yeah," I said, sighing, "just please do me justice."

"I'll try." She replied standing up. Raising her glass in the air, she said, "A toast to Izaak, the freakiest morph I've ever seen, my wonderful boyfriend, and the savior of our taste buds."

We all raised our glasses, before downing them. When we finished this, Azura sat back down, this time on my lap..

"Well, that wasn't too bad." I said. "Granted, the 'weirdest morph part' was slightly random."

She just shrugged, and Sylva said, "That, and I find it slightly insulting. I mean, I'm sitting right here."

Azura laughed, before saying, "Sorry Syl, but, standard morph wise, as in not including the whole eye thing, Izaak wins."

"Understandable." He said, shrugging.

"So," Rell said, "what exactly is with the other thing you brought?"

"Ah, of course." Azura said, sliding back into her seat. "Midnight, slide it down, if you would."

Midnight slid the dish down, and Azura moved in front of her.

"So," she began, undoing the latches on the lid, "I decided to put the skills that Izaak has taught us to use, so I made this." She finished opening the dish, revealing a large, rectangular cake, the left half covered in white frosting and the right in black frosting, and she said, "A homemade, gluten free cake."

There were a few 'oohs' and 'ahhs' as she presented this.

"That looks really fucking good." I said.

"Thanks." Azura responded. "Although, I did have some help from Midnight."

"So, um, what exactly did you bring to cut it with?" Markus asked.

Azura deadpanned, saying, "That's where I ran into an issue. We don't actually have any knives clean."

"Figures." Rell said.

I thought for a second, before saying, "I think I have an idea."

I coated my right hand in an Iron Claw, causing shocked gasps from the others.

"Dude, isn't that slightly overkill?" Markus asked. "And slightly unsanitary?"

"Not really." I replied, shrugging. "And besides, the only time I've used this was to scare off those assholes on Halloween, so it's not like they've ever been dirty."

There were no more protests, so I carefully cut the cake into even pieces. Azura and Midnight passed the pieces out, and we started eating.

When we were all done, I said, "That was really good."

Azura giggled, before saying, "Well, you have taught me that looks aren't always deceiving, especially with food."

I laughed, saying, "Yeah, I guess."

"Hey, guys." Sylva said, getting our attention. We turned to look at him, and he said, "I wanted to thank all of you."

"What for?" Rell asked.

"Well, ever since I moved in, I know that you guys have sort of had to change your life style to accommodate me," he said, "and I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm grateful for it."

"Don't worry about it, man." I said. "I mean, we haven't had to change too much, and we don't really miss what we had to change."

"Except for the pancakes." Markus interjected. "You made the best damn pancakes ever."

I chuckled, before saying, "Tell you what, we'll find some way to make gluten free pancakes, even if I have to use mix and fuck with it slightly."

"I'd like that." Markus said, contently. "I'd like that a lot."

* * *

I was, once again, sitting on the roof. Shortly after dinner, Azura had decided to take a shower, so I had headed back up here. I heard footsteps behind me, followed by Rell sitting next to me.

"So, how goes watching the snow?" He asked, jokingly.

"Well, it's pretty damn boring, to be honest." I replied. "So, what exactly brings you up here?"

"Just decided to come up here and join you, if you don't have any protests." He replied, his voice sounding as if something was in his mouth.

I looked over and saw that there was a cigarette pinched between his front teeth, and a lighter in his hand.

"You smoke?" I asked.

"Yeah." He replied, lighting the tobacco filled stick. "I know, it's a bad habit that I need to quit, but you can get over it. I actually enjoy it. Why, do you?"

"Once or twice." I replied.

"Want one?" He asked, offering me the pack and the lighter.

I thought for a second, before accepting them, saying, "Sure, why the hell not?"

I put my own cigarette in my mouth and lit it. I coughed slightly at first, but got over it.

"You okay, man?" Rell asked, as I handed the pack and lighter back to him.

"Yeah," I replied, "just haven't done this since I was thirteen."

"Yeah, that'll do that to you." He responded, chuckling.

"So," I asked, curious, "who all knows that you smoke?"

"Pretty much everyone." He replied. "My dad is the one that gets them for me, obviously. Then the others know, as well. I mean, occasionally Azura will join me in one."

"Really?" I asked. "I wouldn't have thought that she smoked."

"Yeah?" He said. "Well, when I first met her, I wouldn't have thought her to be the kind of girl to have nipple piercings."

I looked at him, shocked, and said, "You know?"

"Yep." He replied. "I know a lot of things that others think I don't. And before you start worrying, no, I haven't seen her topless."

"Then how did you find out?" I asked.

"When we got them away from the Tauros I had to carry her, and I felt them pushing up against me." He answered.

After that, we just sat there, smoking in silence, until I heard more footsteps. We were joined by a slightly damp Azura, who sat on my left side.

"Hey." She said, sitting down. Noticing what was in our mouth's she asked, "Hey Rell, could I get one?"

"Sure." He said, handing her the pack and lighter.

She lit her own cigarette, saying, "Thanks." She handed the pack back to Rell and said, "So, what are you guys doing up here?"

"Watching snow fall, I guess." I replied.

"Alright, I'm up for it." She replied, taking a drag from her cigarette.

We sat in silence, until we heard more footsteps behind us. And we were joined by Markus and Midnight, who sat next to Rell.

"So, any major changes to frozen liquid in the past few hours?" Markus asked.

"Not really." I said. "Granted, every flake is different, so there's that."

"Yes, but fuck science." Markus replied.

I laughed, and we sat there, until I heard two more pairs of footsteps, signaling the arrival of the rest of our family.

"You are late." I said, jokingly.

"Sorry, but we've been cleaning the closet." Sylva said. "Which brought up a question."

"Which is?" Rell asked.

"What's with these?" Alice asked.

We turned around to look at them, and we saw Alice holding a red bass guitar, while Sylva was holding two guitars, one black and one white.

"I forgot that those still existed." Rell said. "Remember those, Markus?"

Markus chuckled, before saying, "Yeah, I do. One of the worst decisions I ever made."

"Aww, c'mon, you weren't that bad." Rell said.

"Yeah, at the bass." Markus replied. "I sucked horridly at the guitar."

Rell just shrugged in response.

"Wait a minute," Midnight said, "you two can play instruments."

"Yep." Rell replied. "It was shortly after Markus moved in, I convinced my dad to by them for us. So, we used the internet to learn."

"Can you still play it?" Alice asked.

"Of course." Rell replied. "I don't think that I could remember any songs on it, but I can absolutely play some chords. Why, do you wanna hear?" We all gave sounds of agreement, so he said, "Alright then, hand me one of the guitars. Preferably the white one, as it was the one I always used."

Sylva complied, and they sat the other instruments down, before sitting down themselves, Sylva on Azura's other side and Alice squeezed in between Rell and Markus. Rell tuned the guitar up, before playing some random chords on it. When he was done, we all clapped.

"Thank you, thank you." He said, sitting the instrument down. "So, Markus, you wanna see if you retain any of your knowledge?"

"Sorry, I don't feel like embarrassing myself in front of everyone." He replied.

"Fair enough." Rell said, shrugging. "So, anyone else know how to play?"

After a few seconds with no reaction, I slowly raised my hand.

Azura noticed this, and said, "Really? You know how to play guitar?"

"Um, yeah." I responded, unsure.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" She asked.

"Because you asked me the oddest thing about me," I replied, "which is being fluent in Latin. This is just a talent of mine."

"Well, will you play something?" Rell asked.

I shrugged, saying, "Sure, why not."

I picked up the black guitar and tuned it, before starting to play some random chords. When I was done, the others started clapping.

"Wow, someone who's better than me at this." Rell said. "Asshole."

"C'mon, I wouldn't say that I'm better than you." I said.

"I would." Markus spoke up. "And trust me, I practiced with the fucker for a while."

"So, do you know any songs?" Midnight asked me.

"A fuck ton." I replied. "Granted, most of them require a band to play."

"Well, do you know any acoustics or something like that?" Rell asked.

I thought for a second, before saying, "Yeah, I know a few. Want me to play one?" There were multiple encouraging statements from the others, so I said, "Alright, alright, I get it."

I thought about which song to play, when an idea suddenly popped into my head. I cleared my throat, preparing to sing as well, and began playing  _The Morticians Daughter_  by Black Veil Brides.

_I open my lungs dear_   
_I sing this song at funerals... no rush._   
_These lyrics heard a thousand times, just plush._   
_A baby boy you've held so tightly,_   
_This pain it visits almost nightly_   
_Missing hotel beds, I feel your touch._

_I will await dear, a patience of eternity, my crush._

_A universe so still._   
_No rust._   
_No dust will ever grow on this frame,_   
_One million years, and I will say your name._   
_I love you more than I can ever scream._

_We booked our flight those years ago,_   
_I said I loved you as I left you._   
_Regrets still haunt my hollow head,_   
_But I promised you that I will see you again, again._

_I sit here and smile dear._   
_I smile because I think of you and I blush._   
_These bleeding hollow dials, this fuss._   
_A fuss is made of miles and travel_   
_Roadways are but stones and gravel._   
_A bleeding heart can conquer every crutch._

_We booked our flight those years ago_   
_You said you loved me as you left me._   
_Regrets still haunt your saddened head,_   
_But I promised you that I will see you._

_We booked our flight those years ago_   
_I said I loved you as I left you_   
_Regret's no longer in my head,_   
_But I promised you and now I'm home again, again, again, I'm home again, again, again._

_I'm home again._

As I finished the song, I felt Azura rest her head on my shoulder. There was silence for multiple minutes, before someone finally broke the silence.

"Damn." Rell said, speaking up. "That was really fucking good."

"Thanks." I said, putting the guitar down.

"It was beautiful." Azura said, kissing me on the cheek.

After a few more minutes, Rell pulled out his phone, and said, "Hey, it's getting pretty late. We should probably get to bed."

We all agreed and rose, flicking out our cigarettes. Sylva and Alice grabbed the white guitar and bass again, but when I went to hand the black guitar to Rell, he pushed it away.

"Dude, you can keep it." He said. "I mean, it's not like I use that one, and you did it way more justice that I ever did."

"You sure?" I asked.

"Absolutely man." He said, before jumping down the hatch.

Azura and I were the last to follow, and we all met at the top of the stairs to say goodnight, before disappearing to our respective rooms, Azura and I returning to the living room. Shortly after Sylva moved in, we got him set up on the couch in the recreational room, so we had ours back. When we entered, I sat the guitar down with my stuff and got on the couch. Azura got on with me and immediately snuggled up to me.

After a few minutes, she said, "Hey, Izaak?"

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I want to let you know that I'm proud of you for what you did today." She said. "That, and that your singing truly was beautiful."

"Thanks." I said. "I love you, Azura."

"I love you too, Izaak." She replied.

No sooner had the words exited her mouth, than she had me her lips locked to mine in a passionate kiss, the best one of our relationship. We kept like that for multiple minutes, and as she finally began pulling back, I felt her slip her tongue into my mouth slightly, before quickly releasing me. With that, we fell asleep, her in my arms.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sigh* I truly love this story. Like, seriously, I love writing this story. Anyway, this was a nice exposition chapter, if I do say so myself. Fun fact: all of the food I have ever mentioned in here is actually really good, even the lasagna. Yeah, my sister is actually gluten intolerant (not to the severity of Sylva, but still) so I know a fair amount about gluten free food, and it actually is good. Other fun fact: I don't condone teenage smoking. While I do enjoy it (yeah, I know, a fifteen year old that smokes, get over it. I've only done it twice) it really isn't healthy. Granted, I don't condone teenage drinking either, but I've never done that. So, I hope that learning the back stories was fun, and I hope it brought some enlightenment to the characters, and the fucked up mind that I possess. Bye. :)


	8. Glad To Know That I Have A Purpose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for this chapter I need to put a warning. Like, a real warning, not that stupid joking bullshit that I put on the last chapter.
> 
> Warning: This chapter gets slightly... lemony. Enjoy. :)

 

* * *

** Glad To Know That I Have A Purpose **

I was sitting on the couch in the living room, worry filling my mind. I had woken up at my normal time, but I had found that, instead of my arm being wrapped around Azura, it was laying in the spot where she sleeps, and it was as cold as if she hadn't even been there in the first place, along with her backpack being absent. At first, I didn't think too much of it, as I assumed that she was just off on an early walk in the woods or something, but the minutes she was gone slowly crept into hours, and I started getting worried by the time it hit four in the afternoon. I had tried calling her multiple times, but each time it went straight to voicemail. I hadn't asked the others if they had seen her, due to the fact that I didn't want to worry them, or make it seem as if I don't think that she can take care of herself, but my resolve was starting weaken as the clock on my phone read five thirty. I sighed, and rose from the couch, making my mind up. I went into the dining room and saw Rell, Markus, and Sylva sitting there. Rell and Sylva were playing chess, as they had found the board and pieces while cleaning the closet, and Markus was sitting there watching.

"Hey," I started, trying to hide the worry in my voice, "have you guys seen Azura? She's been gone since before I woke up, and she hasn't been answering my calls."

"Oh, is she doing that again?" Markus asked.

Rell shrugged, and said, "Yeah, I guess it would be about that time."

"What time?" I asked, confused. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Well, every year, at about this time, Azura just disappears and doesn't answer any of our calls." Rell explained. "But, she always comes back shortly before Christmas, perfectly fine, so we don't really worry about it much."

I stood there, processing what he said.  _Wait, she does this annually? That sounds like- no, don't tell me._  I quickly pulled my phone out and checked the date, to see that it was, in fact, November twentieth. I sunk to the ground, realizing what was going on.

"Shit, not this." I said, despairing. "Fuck me, this is bad."

"What are you talking about?"Rell asked me, leaning over and looking down at me. "And why the hell are you in the floor?"

I just ignored him, as I was thinking. I put my head in my hands, trying to think of what to do. I immediately came to the solution.  _I have to after her. I can't let anything happen to her._

"Yo, Earth to Izaak." Markus said, getting up and walking over to me, before snapping in my face.

I stood up, removing my face from my hands, saying, "Oh Arceus, she's an ice type. She shouldn't be out right now, not in this time of the year."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rell asked again, sounding exasperated.

I didn't answer, instead, I put my phone back into my pocket and raced into the living room. I grabbed my jacket from my pile of belongings, and dashed into the foyer, to find that the guys had followed me out, and were currently standing there, confused looks on their faces.

"Are you going to tell us what the hell you're on about?" Sylva asked me.

"No time." I quickly replied, before throwing the front door open and dashing out, slamming it behind me.

I ran out of the fence and into the forest a little bit, before stopping, trying to decide on the best course of action.  _Maybe I can pick up the scent._ I focused on the multitude of scent in the air, before finally finding what I was looking for. A sickly sweet smell, mixed the familiar scent of my girlfriend. It was faint, and I would probably have to deal with other, similar scents, but it was the best I had. I dashed off in the direction that it was going, my feet sliding slightly in the seemingly endless snow fall.  _I have to find her, and soon. There's no telling what could happen to her out here, especially with her current condition._ I continued running, picking up other scents similar to hers, but I tried to keep on the true path, granted it didn't completely work out all of the time. I don't know how long I was running, but I stopped when I got too tired and too cold to continue.  _Damn it, I was hoping it wouldn't take this long. I'll have to find a place to sleep for the night._ I looked around, and found a tall tree with high and thick branches, but I found that I could easily use my Iron Claws to stick into the thick trunk and climb higher. I got to a branch that I thought would suffice, large and thick enough to support me and high enough up to where I couldn't easily be spotted by anyone on the ground. By now, the temperature had to be at least below ten, and my phone confirmed this, as I looked at the weather on it and saw it to be five degrees out. I zipped up my jacket and threw the hood up, tucking my ears inside of the hood, and tucked my tail into my pants, trying to conserve as much body heat as possible. I could easily see my breath, and that worried me. I looked to the sky and saw that the moon was already on its descent.  _Where are you Azura? I want to help you._

* * *

When I woke up, the sun was still on the rise, and it had stopped snowing. I pulled out my phone, to see that it was just past nine. I felt my stomach growl as I dropped down from the branch.  _Oh, right. I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday at seven. Probably not very healthy. Fuck it, I have a job to do._  I ignored my hunger and tried to pick up the scent again, but I quickly discovered that it had faded during the night.

"Damn it!" I yelled out, punching a tree in exasperation.

As my fist collided with the trunk, the bark splintered, flying off in multiple directions, including into my hand. I gasped in pain, as I pulled my hand back to see small pieces of bark imbedded in my fingers, with blood slowly seeping from the wounds. I silently cursed my stupidity, and began pulling the bark from my flesh. When I was finished, I began searching the woods again, blindly. I decided to keep my attire how I had it over the previous night, as it served as efficient protection from the cold and snow. After multiple hours of searching, my phone began vibrating. I pulled it out to see that Rell was calling me.

I answered, saying, "Yes?"

"Dude, where the hell are you?" His voice came over the call, sounding slightly angry. "We're all worried about you."

I sighed, saying, "I apologize for worrying you, but I must find Azura."

"She doesn't need finding, man." He replied. "I told you, this happens every year."

"Well, she needs finding this time." I said, defiantly. "So, if you just called to check up on me, I'll be home soon."

"Whatever man." He responded, sighing. "Just please hurry. Alice and Midnight are starting to ask questions about where you are, and we keep using excuses, as we know that it'll just worry them if they knew."

"I'll try." I replied.

"That's all I'm asking." Rell replied. "See you."

"You too." I answered, as I hung up the phone.

 _This needs to end soon._ I started walking again, trying to find the scent. After at least another hour, I finally found it again, and I quickly followed it. I eventually heard a familiar voice, and she seemed to be pleading. I quickly and silently rushed forward, until I stood, hidden in the trees, at the edge of a clearing. I looked into the patch of land and saw Azura, curled up at the base of a tree with her backpack behind her, fear plastered to her face, and a large Mightyena standing in front of her, with a particular angering appendage showing.

"C'mon, I know that you need this." The wolf said, prowling closer to her. "I can smell the scent on you."

"No, please," Azura begged, "just go away. I want nothing to do with you."

The Mightyena chuckled, moving ever closer, and said, "I don't know about that. Your body is saying something entirely different."

 _I've had it with this fucker._ I dashed out of the trees and tackled the Pokemon, taking him by surprise. I picked him up and threw him away, where his back hit a tree. He picked himself up and growled at me, baring his teeth. He dashed at me, but I delivered a swift kick to his jaw, sending him flying into the air. I caught him out of the sky by his neck and dashed over to a tree, slamming him into the rough bark.

He let out a howl of pain, before saying, "Fuck off, asshole. She's my lay."

I punched him the stomach, colliding with his extended member in the process, causing him to howl even louder.

I leaned in closely to his ear and growled out, "She will never be anything to you. You will never refer to her as a 'lay' or I will make it to where you can never have a proper 'lay' again. Do you understand?"

"Fuck you, asshole." He barked out, before lashing at me with his teeth.

I used my free hand to smack his mouth away before his teeth could get to me, and I coated the hand in an Iron Claw, and pointed it at his groin.

"Did you think I was kidding, mutt?" I growled out, putting pressure on his crotch to emphasize my point.

At this, the Mightyena whimpered in pain and fear, before saying, "No, stop!" I put more force into the claw, and he let out another whimper, pleading, "Please, please let me go. I'm sorry; I didn't know that she was yours. Please don't hurt me."

I scowled at him, dropping him onto the ground, where he landed on his back. I placed my foot on his groin, pressing down slightly.

I leaned down to his ear, to say, "Leave. Now. Leave and never come back."

"Yes sir, of course." The Mightyena whimpered. "Just please don't hurt me."

I stepped off of him, allowing him to get up. He quickly dashed off through the trees, tail between his legs. I turned to see that Azura was still cowering at the base of the tree. I went over to her, and she threw her hands up protectively, closing her eyes.

"No, please don't hurt me." She pleaded.

Remembering that my whole body was covered, I quickly took off my hood, releasing my ears, and I stooped down to Azura, and said, "Hey, calm down. It's me."

She opened her eyes, the brilliant blue irises meeting mine, and said, "Izaak? What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you." I replied, sitting down in front of her.

"No, no, you can't be here." She quickly said, trying to get up, but I grabbed her arms, stopping her.

"Azura stop." I said, gripping her wrists, as she looked at me. "I know what's going on."

"Y-you do?" She questioned me.

By know, the strong scent was already overpowering my senses, and I had to fight my instincts and urges.

"Yes." I said. "You have to keep in mind that my parents were doctors."

"So, then why did you come to find me?" She asked, probably already knowing the answer.

I sighed, before saying, "Because I want to help you. I want to cure your heat."

"Izaak, you know that I could never ask you to do that." She said.

"Well, you aren't asking me." I said. "I'm asking to. I won't force myself on you, but I truly want to help."

"Izaak, are you sure?" She asked.

"Of course." I responded, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "I can't stand the thought of you being in pain, and I know that I can stop it. So, please, let me help you."

She seemed to consider her options for a second, before saying, "O-okay. Please help me with my heat. I can't stand it anymore. After so many years of it, it hurts so bad."

"I know," I said, cupping her face in my hands, "and I will stop the pain. Do you know of anywhere more secluded to do it?"

"Yes," She said, rising and grabbing my hand, "follow me."

She grabbed her bag and led the way, with me trailing behind.  _I can't believe that she actually agreed. I just hope that we're both ready._  We eventually came to another clearing, this one with a stream in it, which led into a small pond, which reflected the setting sun beautifully.

"We'll be left alone here." She said, releasing my hand. "During my first cycle of heat, I met the local Eeveelution clan, and they agreed to allow me to remain here, undisturbed, until it passed."

I nodded and we sat down, and she shrugged her backpack off. We silently decided to strip ourselves of our shoes, so she took of her sneakers as I took off my boots. We sat there for multiple minutes, an awkward silence on the clearing.

"So," I started, breaking the quiet, "should we start?"

"I-I guess." Azura replied. "You take the lead."

"Alright." I replied, nervously.

I moved over to her and slowly began trailing light kisses down her neck, and I could feel her relax under my touch. I reached her shirt and I lightly tugged on it, signaling for her to raise her arms. She did so, and I slowly lifted her shirt up and off of her body, revealing her perfect torso and large D-cup breasts, her nipples hard and erect in the cold air. I went to move my hands to her torso, but she stopped me, holding my hands. I looked at her, confused, and she lightly tugged on my shirt. Understanding what she wanted, I stripped myself of my shirt as well, dropping on the ground next to hers. I brought my hands to her body and began caressing and squeezing her full breasts, eliciting moans from her open mouth. I took this opportunity and pressed my lips to hers, using my tongue to invade her mouth. Our pink appendages started wrestling in her mouth, before locking together, muffling her moans slightly. We continued like this, me lightly squeezing her breast, and our lips locked, until we need air. We broke apart, panting, and there was a string of saliva connecting our lips. The strand broke as I lowered my head to her left breast and started licking her rough nipple, rubbing my tongue along her the black ball bearing as well.

This caused even more moans, along with a gasp of, "Izaak. That feels so good."

I continued nibbling and sucking her small nipple, before swapping over to the other, moving my hand to replace my tongue on the previous one. I continued servicing her for multiple more minutes, before I backed my head off. She looked at me, a longing look in her eyes, but I put one finger to her lips, telling her to wait. I slowly slid down and unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them off of her, revealing that she wasn't wearing anything under them. I brought my head to her groin, and found her wet slit. I slowly stuck my tongue out and licked it, being sure to drag it along her supersensitive little nub as well. At this, she went rigid, moaning loudly in pleasure.

"Holly shit, that feels so good." She moaned out. "Please, continue."

Complying, I dug my tongue in deeper, entering her tunnel. To be honest, it was slightly cold on my tongue, but it oddly tasted like vanilla ice cream.  _Not to be too perverse, but, holy shit, she tastes wonderful._ I continued digging my tongue in deeper, wiggling it around in her walls, making her moan constantly. I serviced her this way for multiple minutes, until she wrapped her legs around my head, holding me in place. As soon as she did this, she let out an exceptionally loud moan and her muscles clenched onto my tongue, as her climax hit, gifting me with more of her juices. I drank down all that I could, and when I was finally released, some of her juices were dripping from my lips, down my chin. She immediately locked me in a deep kiss, where we tied tongues once again. We pulled away minutes later, panting.

"What tastes like ice cream?" She asked, between pants.

"You." I responded.

She laughed slightly, before saying, "Let's move on. Hurry, strip down."

I complied, shedding myself of the rest of my clothes, revealing my semi-hard member. She pushed me to where I was laying on my back, before moving her head up to my groin. She stuck her tongue out, and began slowly licking up my hardening length. She continued doing this until I was at my full seven and a half inches. She took my full length in her mouth, and began bobbing her head up and down on it. Feeling useless, I quickly lifted Azura's rear end up, before spinning her around to where her slit was hovering over my face. I dug my tongue in once again, causing her to moan around my length. We continued like this, in the sixty-nine position, for a few minutes, until I felt my muscles tensing near my groin. I tried to pull back and warn her, but she reached her climax at this moment, and she shoved her groin back into my face, silencing me. As I felt her canal clench down on my tongue, I instinctively thrusted forward into her mouth as I reached my own climax. When both of our orgasms came to an end, she rolled off of me, and I sat up.

I got into a position to where my arms were on either side of her, my still-hard member just inches from her slit.

"Are you ready?" I asked her.

She nodded in response, so I slowly entered her. As soon as I slid my head into her, I let out a gasp of shock.  _Holy shit, she's so damn cold on my dick._ I quickly got used to the temperature and continued sliding into her tight canal, until I hit her barrier.

"Okay," I said, warning her, "this will hurt at first, but It'll be replaced my pleasure soon enough. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Izaak." She said.

I quickly thrusted into her, breaking her hymen. As soon as I did this, Azura bit down roughly on my shoulder, silencing her scream of pain. I stayed still for a few seconds, allowing her to adjust to my size. She released my shoulder from her mouth and looked up at me, a few tears in her eyes, before nodding. I reached over and wiped away her tears, before slowly starting to move again. I pulled myself almost completely out, eliciting moans from both of us, before slamming back in. I continued like this, steadily gaining speed, until I was pounding into her. She began practically screaming in pleasure, the only coherent things being my name and commands along the lines of 'faster' and 'harder'. I complied, using all of my force to slam into her. Getting an idea, I activated Extreme Speed, to where my hips were no more than a blur as I pounded into Azura's tight tunnel. This caused her to really scream with pleasure, as I joined in with my own quiet moans. I don't know how long this went on for, it had to be at least ten minutes, but it felt to be more, but I started feeling the familiar tightening in my muscles.

"Azura," I panted out, "I'm close."

She wrapped her legs around me in response, saying, "Don't pull out, whatever you do."

I nodded, continuing to thrust into her, until I felt her tunnel constrict on me and her juices shoot out, coating my groin and member. Her climax triggered my own, and I sunk my whole length into her, groaning in the pleasure, releasing my seed into her womb. When our climaxes finally died down, I collapsed on top of Azura, before rolling off of her, pulling my softening member from her. We just laid there, panting, neither of us able to say anything.

Eventually Azura rolled onto me, and panted out, "Holy shit, that was good."

"Yeah." I agreed.

"I'm sorry for about your shoulder." She said, running her hand over the slightly bleeding teeth marks.

"Don't worry about it." I said, waving it off. "My arms been bitten by worse."

She laughed at this, before reaching over and bringing her bag next to us. She pulled out a blanket large enough to cover both of us, and she threw it over us, warming us some.

"I love you, Izaak." She said, snuggling down with me.

"I love you too, Azura." I replied, before locking her in a quick kiss, this one unlike the previous ones, being just a quick, loving one.

We broke apart and she buried her face in my chest fur. We fell asleep quickly, as the snow began falling again.

* * *

I woke up with the sun shining directly at me. I opened my eyes to see that Azura was still asleep, her head where it was last night, buried in my chest. I gently began caressing her head, running my fingers through her fur. She woke up after a few minutes, and she raised her head, blinking around. She locked eyes with me and immediately kissed me again, providing for a nice way to wake up. We broke apart after about a minute, and we continued laying there, her head and hands on my chest and my hands on her body, one behind her head and the other just below her soft butt cheeks.

After multiple minutes, Azura said, "Y'know, we should probably get up and bathe."

"Do you actually have anything to bathe with?" I questioned her.

"Of course." She replied, lifting herself off of me. She sat next to me as I sat up, and she opened her bag, saying, "Did you really think that I would leave the house without soap?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I said, chuckling.

"C'mon," she said, pulling out a bar of soap, "let's clean up, and then we can head back."

I nodded and we got up, entering the small pond. We dipped under the water, washing away the sweat from last night. We bathed together, and when we were done, we began just sitting with each other in the water.

"Hey, Izaak?" Azura asked, getting my attention.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"So, I was thinking," She started, "when we had sex last night, I was in heat. So, does that mean that I'll get pregnant?"

"Not necessarily." I replied. "While it is pretty much a guarantee in Pokemon, in morphs it does nothing to affect the chance."

"Oh." She said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Okay, then."

I turned to her to see that she had her head down, watching the water. I cupped her chin in my hands and brought her face up to mine.

"Why?" I asked. "Did you want kids?"

"Well, I don't really know." She replied. "I mean, I would love to start a family with you, but I'm not sure if we're quite ready for one."

"Well, how about this," I said, "if nothing happened this time, than we can absolutely try for a kid when we think we're ready."

"Really?" She asked, looking at me hopefully. I nodded, and she wrapped her arms around me, saying, "Nothing would make me happier than to make a family with you, Izaak. Nothing."

I wrapped my arms around her in return, and said, "And I with you, Azura."

We let go of each other and got out of the water. Azura got out two towels from her bag and threw one to me. We dried off, and Azura pulled some clothes from her bag and started getting dressed.

"That reminds me," I said, "what exactly am I meant to wear?"

"Look in my bag." She replied, as she pulled on her pants. "I accidently grabbed some of your jeans in my haste, so you can wear those. That is, unless you have an issue with walking around shirtless."

I smirked, saying, "Well, seeing as the only one that lives with us that hasn't seen me shirtless is Sylva, I'm pretty sure that I can handle it."

She laughed as I opened up her bag and found the pair of jeans she was talking about. I pulled them out and put them on, before putting my boots on as well.

As she finished putting her shirt on and started to lace up her sneakers, I asked, "So, what do we do with what we dirtied?"

"Just put it in the bag," she replied, "one of us can wash it when we get home."

I gathered up all of our soiled laundry and put it in her bag. As I did this, I accidently knocked something out. I bent down to pick it up, and saw that it was a can of scented body spray.

"Think we should use this, just in case?" I asked Azura, holding it up.

"Sure." She replied.

I sprayed some on myself, before throwing the can to Azura. She used some herself, and put it in her bag. She picked her bag up and we stared home. As we were walking, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a text from Rell, reading, 'Are you still out there?' I replied with, 'Coming home' and put it back in pocket.

"So," Azura said, "what's your plan when we get home."

I just sighed, before saying, "We'll probably need to talk to Midnight. I mean, her heat will only be in a few months, and she needs to find a way to get Markus to help her with it."

"I agree." Azura replied. "But, what about Alice?"

I just shrugged, saying, "Well, first we'll have to get her and Rell to hook up." She looked at me, shocked, and I said, "C'mon, don't tell me that you've missed it. The way they look at each other, the way Rell is always caring for her so much. It's extremely obvious that they like each other."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Azura said, as the stone walls that surround the house came into sight.

We entered the house through the front door, and Rell was standing in the foyer, along with Sylva, who was tapping his foot on the ground.

"Do you guy mind explaining what the hell you were doing?" Rell said, trying to sound stern.

"Maybe." I replied, as we started up the stairs. "I'm not quite sure yet."

We continued upstairs until we came to Midnight's door.

I knocked, and was greeted by her voice yelling out, "It's open!"

I opened the door and entered, Azura following behind me. When I entered, I saw that her room was similar to Markus's, and she and Markus sitting on her bed.

"Oh, hey, Izaak." She said, waving. "Your back." She caught sight of who was accompanying me, and she said, "And you brought Azura. What are you doing here, Azura?"

"Well, Izaak came to find me," she replied, "and we sort of fixed my problem."

"You did?" She asked, shocked.

"Yep." Azura said, nodding. "And it was wonderful." I shot a questioning look at her, and she just shrugged, saying, "What, I wasn't going to lie about you being good at it."

I sighed, before asking, "Midnight, do you mind if I speak to you for a second."

"No, not really." She replied, motioning for Markus to leave.

I stopped him, my hand on his chest, and said, "Stay. It'd probably be easier."

He looked at me, confused, but he sat back down, nonetheless.

"Okay," I started, "I'll try to keep this from being too awkward, although I will say it will be no matter what. So, Midnight, I assume that you know that your heat season will be coming up in January, correct?"

"Um, yes." She replied, awkwardly.

"Okay, good." I responded. "Well, I assume that you also know what causes it, along with what can fix it. Am I right?"

"Yes." She said, visibly blushing under her purple fur.

"Well," I said, "I believe that it would be wise for you to get it cured as soon as it starts. I know how much it hurts, and I advise this because I care for you."

"I don't know," she replied, "I mean, I don't know if we're ready."

"Listen," I said, crouching down in front of her, "I believe that both of you are mature to do it. That is, as long as there is no certain long term consequence. I don't really think that you guys are ready for that."

"I completely agree with that statement." Azura added. "Trust me, you two aren't ready for that stage yet."

Through this whole conversation, Markus had just been sitting there, confused, but he finally spoke up, saying, "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

I just ignored him, instead asking Midnight, "Well, will you do it?"

"Y-yes," she said, slightly reluctantly, "yes, I will do it, as long as he complies."

"Very well." I said, standing back up. "I'll leave explaining everything to you, as it will be less awkward."

"Okay, thank you." She replied.

I nodded and opened the door, which Azura left through, with me following her. As soon as the door closed, Azura spun around and wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"Um, what's this for?" I asked, confused.

"As a thank you." She replied. "For helping me, and for helping my sister."

"It was nothing." I said, hugging her back. "I love you, and I would do anything for you."

We stayed like that until we were interrupted by a low growling.

"What was that?" Azura asked.

"That would be my stomach." I replied. "Yeah, I haven't eaten anything since the morning that you left."

Azura laughed, before saying, "Well, c'mon then. Let's go get some food."

We went back downstairs and into the kitchen. While I made us something to eat, Azura went and put the contents of her bag, along with the bag itself, in the washer.

"Don't you think that you should put on a shirt?" Azura asked me, reentering the room, just as I was platting up our food.

"I don't see why." I said, shrugging. "I mean, I will after we eat, as there isn't any major need for me to put one on now."

"Whatever." She replied, sighing, and grabbing her plate.

We went into the dining room and started eating or food. After a few minutes, Markus came in, a shocked look plastered on his face.

"Hey buddy," I greeted, "so, how was the talk?"

He sat down across from me, saying, "Slightly fucking weird. So, if what she was talking about is what you were talking about, then you guys had-"

"Yes." I said, cutting him off. "There's no need to say it, as I feel it would only make you feel awkward.

Markus let out a sigh, before slamming his face into the table.

"You just had to move in and make everything weirder, didn't you Izaak?" He said.

"That wasn't my goal," I said, "but it's nice to know that I have a purpose here.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how did you guys like my first lemon? Granted, I did do a minor sex scene in IFBNW, but that was only, like, three sentences, maybe four. Anyway, please leave some feedback on the lemon in a review, as I want to know if I actually did a good job with it, or if I should work on them more. Anyway, have fun with the rest of your day.


	9. We're a Weird House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, a new chapter. Now with more fighting.

 

* * *

**We're a Weird House**

Azura, Sylva, and I were all sitting in the living room, watching a movie on TV. It was an Eastwood,  _Two Mules For Sister Sarah,_ and Azura had chosen to watch it, as it was one of her favorite movies. Not that I could blame her, really. I mean, it is a really good movie, granted  _The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly_ and  _Dirty Harry_ were better, but it was difficult to go wrong with Eastwood's westerns. We were just sitting there, Azura with her head on my shoulder and my arm around her, with Sylva sitting in one of the armchairs, when we were interrupted by the others entering, talking amongst themselves.

"Hey guys." I greeted. "What's up?"

"We're about to go outside and have a little race." Rell replied. "You guys wanna join?"

"I'm up for it." I said, shrugging. Looking at Azura and Sylva, I said, "What about you two?"

"Sure." Azura said, removing her head from my shoulder. "It's been a while since we've raced, and it'd be fun."

"Alright." Rell replied. Turning to Sylva, he said, "Sylva, what about you?"

"I don't think so." He replied.

"C'mon man," I said, "it's not like you'll be at any disadvantage or anything."

"It's not that," he replied, "I just don't like races. I find them to be stupid and a waste of energy."

"Okay then," I said, as Azura and I stood up, "have fun staying here."

"I had planned on it." He said, as we all left the room. "When we were outside, I asked, "So, where are we going?"

Markus pointed out of the front gate, at a slight angle, and said, "That way. We're racing until we hit the edge of town, and then turning back and going this way. First one back wins."

"Seems fair enough." I said, as we all lined up at the beginning of the dirt road.

"Alright, I'll count us off." Alice said. "Ready. Set. Go!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, we all started off into the woods, kicking up dirt on the small portion of the road that we had to step on. After a few minutes, I had pulled ahead, followed by Rell, then Alice, who seemed to be running right beside Markus, who was followed closely by Midnight, with Azura keeping up the rear. We continued running, leaping over exposed tree roots and ducking under low hanging branches. The order of runners stayed constant, with me reaching the edge of town first, and whipping around and starting back. After running for a few more minutes, I just got tired of the race, as it had become evident that I would win, so I slowed down to a steady jog. As the others passed me, they threw some playful jibes at me. Eventually, Azura caught up to me, and I fell into pace with her.

"What's with the sudden skill level decrease?" She asked, panting.

"Meh, just got bored of the race." I replied. "So, I figured, why not let someone else win?"

"Very chivalrous." She joked at me.

"I thought so as well." I said. "So, what are you doing all the way back here?"

"I'm not too good at racing." She replied. "I don't know why, but I just can't keep a pace up."

"Well then," I said, "how about we just walk around for a little?"

"Sure." She replied, stopping and bending over, panting. "Sounds like more fun than this shit."

We started walking through the woods, talking, until we came to a familiar clearing. I froze as soon as we had exited the clearing, my eyes focused on the large skeleton in front of us. In the center of the clearing was a small, one-story house. Or, at least, it was the remnants of it. All that was left was a burnt out skeleton, with all of the windows shattered. Over on one side was a small overgrown garden, just far enough away from the house to escape the flames. Azura had continued walking into the clearing without noticing my delay, but she stopped and looked back at me.

"Hey," she said, returning to my side, "what's up?"

"This is it." I simply said.

"This is what?" She asked me.

"This is it." I repeated. "This is my old house."

"What?" She said, shocked.

"Yep." I replied. "This is the house that I was living in when my life was shot to hell."

"How is that possible?" Azura asked. "I mean, we've went past here so many times in the years that we've lived here, how could we not piece it together?"

"I don't know." I said, beginning to move closer to the building.

"Wait, what are you doing?" She asked me, rushing up to me.

"I'm going in." I replied. "It's my old house; I sort of feel obligated to."

She didn't respond, instead just nodding. We continued walking to the building. The wooden door was no longer on, but the hinges remained. We entered in and we were in the living room, the last place that I had seen my parents. I glanced over to my old room, but chose not to enter it yet. Instead, I went over to the fireplace on the living room wall, and crouched down at it.

"What are you doing?" Azura asked me, as I started moving my hands over the stones that make up the bottom of the fire place.

"Looking for something." I replied.

I continued sliding my hands over the rough stones until I found one that was loose. I removed the stone to reveal a small book that somehow survived the fire, its only cover the stone. I pulled the book out and blew the dust off of it, which gathered in a cloud, before disappearing.

"What's that?" Azura asked, as I sat down on the floor.

She joined me, and I opened up the book to reveal that it held pictures, the first page being completely taken up by a picture of a man and a woman, with two children, a son of about ten, his left eye hidden by dark brown hair, and a daughter of about fifteen, a giant smile, larger than anyone else's, on her face, with a Combusken next to her, his arm wrapped around her, and a small Eevee at the son's feet, a small scar going across her muzzle. At the sight of the picture, a small smile crept onto my face, and a tear came to my eye.

"Wait a minute." Azura said, looking at the picture. "Is that-"

"Yep." I answered, before she could finish. "This is the last picture of my family as a whole. The two adults are obviously my parents, the male kid is me when I was ten, and the girl is my sister, April. She was fifteen at the time, and she was just about to go off to Kanto on her own little Pokemon adventure."

"Who are the two Pokemon?" She asked me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Well, the Combusken is Ash, April's tenth birthday present." I replied.

"Ashe?" Azura asked me.

"Yeah," I said, "and it isn't why you would think. At the time when she got him, my sister was obsessed with the Evil Dead movie, and her favorite character was Ash. So, that's the origin of the name."

"What about the Eevee?" She asked me.

I opened my mouth to respond, but stopped as I heard a low growling behind us. I dropped the book and turned around to see a Flareon behind us, its teeth bared. I could feel Azura tense up next to me.

"Leave this place. Now." It said, confirming that it was a female.

"Yes, of course." Azura said. "I'm sorry, we hadn't realized that this was your territory. We'll leave now."

She pulled on my arm to get me to go towards the door, but I wasn't paying attention. I was looking at the Flareon, or, more specifically, the small scar on her muzzle, barely noticeable through her fur. I got up, but instead of going for the door, I started walking to the Flareon. As I moved closer to her, she growled again, and fired a small jet of fire at my feet, trying to deter me, but I continued approaching her. When I reached her, she lashed out at me, her jaws only a few inches from my arm, but I caught her mouth easily. I then picked her up, eliciting a small squeak of surprise from her, and brought her to my chest. She let out another surprised squeak as I slowly started scratching between her ears.

"Would you calm down, Eve?" I said. "We aren't here to hurt you. I'm merely here to reminisce."

"How do you know my name?" The Flareon said.

"I'm the one who gave it to you." I responded, still scratching her head. "How the hell could I not remember it?"

She brought her head up from my chest and stared at me, her eyes large.

"What?" She asked me.

"C'mon, I saved you from the group of Meowth and Persian that gave you that scar, and you don't remember me?" I said.

"Wait a minute." She said. "Izaak?"

"Of course." I replied.

"But, you're dead." She replied. "You were killed six years ago."

"Do you believe everything you hear on the news, Eve?" I said.

"No," she responded, "but I came home and saw the burnt house. I saw your bodies, Izaak. There were three of them."

"Well, you saw my parents body and some random one them." I said. "Because I'm standing here, holding you."

"But, how did this happen?" She asked me.

I sighed, and said, "This'll take a while."

I sat down on the floor and started my story. When I was done, Eve just sat in my arms, staring at me.

"Wow." She eventually said. "So, that's what happened."

"Yep." She said.

At this point, Azura came up and joined us.

"Wait," Eve said, staring at Azura, "so, are you his mate?"

I could see a blush beginning to form under Azura's fur, along with feeling mine beginning to form, so I said, "Eve, you know that the human word for it is dating."

"Although," Azura added, "due to recent events, yes, you could say that we are mates." I stared at her, and she said, "What? I'm not going to lie. I mean, you did cure my heat."

I sighed, before saying, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Eve opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as we heard more voices near the house. We sat there, silent, as the three deep voices got closer.  _Whoever that is, please don't come in here._ My silent prayer was obviously ignored, as three Pokemon, A Sceptile, an Infernape, and a Blastoise lumbered in the door, the Blastoise's shell breaking part of the wall and ceiling around the door. They caught site of us, and froze.

"Well, well," the Blastoise said, "it looks like we found some freaks, with their little pet. How cute."

"Freak is more than right for that one." The Sceptile added, pointing at me.

The Infernape locked his eyes on Azura and said, "Oh, but cute is right, boss."

I sat Eve down and stood up, saying, "Come near them, and you'll leave here in a body bag, fucker."

"Oh, what's the matter?" The Sceptile taunted. "Are they you're little mates?"

"It doesn't matter what they are to me," I growled out, "all that matters is that you will leave now, or you will face the consequences."

The Blastoise laughed, before saying, "Oh? And what consequences could a little freak like you do?"

"Piss off, or you'll find out." I responded.

"Bring it, bitch." The Infernape responded, before cracking its knuckles.

The Infernape flung itself at me, but was intercepted by Eve jumping up and clamping her jaws on his arm, before spinning in midair and sending him flying away. The Sceptile attacked next, sending a Leaf Storm at me, but it was quickly countered by an Ice Beam coming from my side, stopping the sharp blades in their tracks. As soon as icy mist cleared out, Azura followed the attack up with an Ice Shard, which connected with the grass Pokemon and sent it sliding back. The Sceptile regained its footing, before dashing at Azura and knocking her off of her feet. I was about to spin around and help her, when I was interrupted by a large Hydro Pump flying past me, creating a hole in the wall. I quickly charged up two attacks, a Shadow Ball in one hand and a Dark Pulse in the other, before sending them flying at the large turtle. They connected, sending him flying back through a wall. As he picked himself up, I felt a large weight fly into me. I spun around to see that the Infernape had launched itself at me. It sent a punch my was, but I grabbed its fist, before kicking its feet out from under it, followed by launching it away, where he was intercepted by Eve, who bit down sharply on his shoulder. I looked over to see that Azura was currently kicking the Sceptile's ass, as there was ice incasing one of its arms, and had nailed it with an Iron Claw, as there were four large cuts running down its side. My distraction freed me up to be attacked, as another Hydro Pump came flying at me, this one connecting with me. It hit me with enough force to send me flying off of my feet and into the fireplace, where I fell to the ground after making a dent in the stone. As I tried to shake off the pain, I heard a loud cracking, followed by a rumble. I looked up to see the fireplace collapsing on me, and then blackness.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Azura

As I watched the stone collapse on Izaak, I froze. This allowed the Sceptile to deliver a strong hit to my side, knocking me down. Eve quickly joined me, as the Infernape knocked her out.

"So, boss," I heard the Infernape say, as I fought to stay conscious, "what do we do with them?"

"Well," the Blastoise responded, "we could do with some new mates."

As I heard this, my eyes went wide, only to snap shut as I was knocked out.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak

I woke up to feel stone moving off of me. I opened my eyes to see two black hands grip me, before pulling me out of the pile of stone.

"Holy shit, dude," I heard Sylva's voice say, "are you okay?"

I just laid there on the ground, coughing up blood, not responding.

"Hey, are you okay, man?" I heard Rell's voice say.

I opened my eyes to see Sylva and Rell standing above me, worried looks on their faces. I sat up; feeling slightly light headed, and put my hand to my face. I felt dried blood on my face, along with a cut etched just above my left eye. I quickly looked around, to see that there was no one else in the house, and moonlight was feeding into the room via the holes in the structure, along with the windows.

"Shit, where are they?" I said, standing up.

"Where's who?" Rell asked me.

"Where are Azura and Eve?" I said. "They were with me when we were attacked."

"Attacked?" Rell said, sounding worried. "By who? And who the hell's Eve?"

"Eve's a friend of mine," I said, "and we were attacked by some Pokemon." As I came to the realization of what must of happened, I said, "No. They must of taken them."

I started to run for the door, but was stopped by Rell grabbing me, saying, "No, Izaak. You may be tough, but you shouldn't be running around after some Pokemon in your current condition."

"What the hell are we supposed to do then?" I said. "The fuckers were talking about using them as mates, Rell."

He seemed to think for a second, before saying, "We'll look for them in the morning. It's past midnight, and we shouldn't be-"

He was caught off as Sylva spoke up, "I'll get them."

We both looked at him, shocked, and I said, "What?"

"You heard me." Sylva responded. "I'll go after them. I can track better than any of you with my heightened senses, and I can see a further distance."

Rell looked reluctant to agree, but I just said, "Alright."

"What?" Rell said, shocked. "Izaak, we can't let him do this. He's never even fought before."

"Does that matter?" Sylva countered. "Listen, we have two options. Either I go after them, or they get used as personal fuck toys, your choice."

I flinched slightly at his choice of words, but they seemed to change Rell's opinion, as he reluctantly said, "Alright, just be careful."

"I will," Sylva replied, "just get Izaak home and fix him up."

Rell nodded, and he left the house.

I went up to Sylva and said, "Are you sure about this? I mean, they kicked all of our asses, and it was a fair three on three fight."

"I can take them." Sylva responded. "Just get home and clean up. You smell of blood."

I brought Sylva into an embrace, and said, "Thanks for this. I couldn't imagine them being stuck with those assholes for a whole day."

"Don't worry," he said, returning the embrace, "I'll get them. They won't be stuck out there."

We released each other, and I nodded at him. I was about to leave, when I remembered the book. I bent down and cleared some of the stones away, finding the book. I picked it up and left the house. Rell and I started back towards the house as the moon continued its descent.  _Please get to them Sylva. Don't let them be hurt._

* * *

P.O.V Change: Sylva

I continued standing in the house as they left, thinking through what I just did.

"Arceus, what did I just get myself into?" I said, sighing.

I left the house and started circling it, trying to locate a scent, footprints, anything. I eventually found what smell like an Infernape, and I began following it, assuming that it was one of the assailants.  _I really should have asked Izaak what Pokemon attacked him._  I continued following the scent, until I heard voices up ahead. I slowed down and snuck closer, until I was at the edge of a clearing. I looked into the clearing and saw a Blastoise, a Sceptile, and an Infernape sitting around a fire, their backs to me. They appeared to be messing with something in front of them, so I moved to a better position. When I had a better view, I saw Azura and a Flareon sitting in front of them, Azura's arms and legs tied with vines, the Flareon's legs tied, as well. The three final evolutions appeared to be trying to feed them some cooked bird, with the two hostages refusing it.

"C'mon, sweetie," the Infernape was saying to the Flareon, "it'll just be easier if you accept."

He reached out to the Flareon, but she snapped at him, sinking her teeth into his arm, causing him to drop the food. He howled in pain as he wrenched his arm from her grasp.

"That's it, you little bitch," he yelled, grabbing her, "I've had it with you. I think that it's about time that you get punished."

He flipped her around and put her on the ground, her rear in the air and her head to the ground, in a submissive position.  _I've had it with this._ I stepped out of the trees.

"Hey, assholes!" I yelled. "I believe that you have something that isn't yours."

All eyes turned to me. Suddenly, the Infernape burst out laughing.

"Well, look here boss," he said, "looks like we have another freak. What's with you guys? Are you not happy with being weird little morph fucks, so you guys feel the need to be even stranger?"

"Give the girls to me, and you get to live." I said, ignoring the monkey.

"Who's going to make us?" The Sceptile taunted.

"I will." I growled out.

"Or," the Blastoise said, "we could make you our little bitch as well. I mean, I'm not too picky about what I fuck."

"Or you could give them up." I rebounded.

"Why should we?" The Sceptile said. "I mean, we have needs, as well. You and your other freak buddy can't get all of the nice sluts in the forest."

At this, I had to resist sending a Shadow Ball their way.

"Yeah, I mean, we got horny, too." The Infernape said.

"Not like we'd ever submit to you assholes." Azura said.

"Shut up, bitch." The Sceptile said, turning to her.

He cocked his hand back and slapped her, hard enough to knock her on the ground. As this happened, I could feel my anger rising, proven by my body's reaction.

"Uh, boss," the Infernape said, fear entering his voice, "why are the freak's rings glowing like that?"

I looked down to see that all of my rings were glowing a bright blue, the normal slow flickering speeding up to where they looked to be an almost solid color.

"Leave. Now." I growled out.

"Just because you look even weirder, doesn't mean that we're ditching, punk." The Sceptile said. "These are our bitches, as we won them fair and square."

"Bullshit." Azura said, from the ground.

"I said, shut up." The Sceptile said, sending another kick into her stomach.

At this, I stopped holding back. I coated my hands in fire, before sending a Flamethrower from each, aimed directly at the Sceptile. The flame's connected with the Pokemon, sending it flying back into a tree. It picked itself up off of the ground and looked down, to see that its whole body was charred, but somehow not actually on fire.

"What the hell was that?" The Infernape asked, shocked. "Did that dark freak just shoot fire?"

"Get the hell out!" I yelled at them, charging a Flamethrower in one hand and a Shadow Ball in the other. "Now!"

Instead of leaving, the Blastoise chose to launch a large Hydro Pump at me. I moved out of the way and launched my two attacks, the Shadow Ball at the Infernape and the Flamethrower at the Sceptile. I then coated both of my hands in Iron Claws and, without thinking, ran at the Blastoise. I leapt up to it, before sinking both of the claws into its face, causing crimson blood to start pouring out. Gasps of shock could be heard around the clearing as the large turtle fell to the ground, my claws still buried in its flesh. As the body hit the ground, I pulled my claws from its face, and stood on the Blastoise's chest, which was no longer rising and falling. I stood there, my claws dripping blood, and glared at the other Pokemon, to see fear surrounding them.

"Go." I growled out.

They didn't think twice. They just turned around and ran through the trees. I stepped off of the dead turtle and went over to the tied up girls. I got rid of the claws and began untying them.

"Holly shit, Sylva." Azura said, shocked, as I untied her. "You killed him."

"Yes." I replied, simply.

"He's dead." She said.

"I know." I replied, as I finished untying her and moved to the Flareon. "And I would prefer it if you told no one."

"How are we going to hide it to the others?" Azura asked. "I mean, this is our house that you're talking about. It'll come out."

"I never said that they won't be told." I responded. "I merely asked you to not tell them. I would prefer to tell them myself, as I feel that it would be less awkward."

"Alright." Azura said, sounding slightly reluctant.

"So," I said, addressing the Flareon, "I assume that you are Eve."

"Yes." She replied. "And you are Sylva."

"Correct." I replied, as I finished with her vines.

The girls stood up, Azura rubbing her wrists.

"Alright, let's head home." Azura said.

We turned and started back through the forest.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak

I had stayed awake, pacing the kitchen, since Midnight finished tending to my wounds, which was nothing more than having me wash the blood from my face and make sure that I didn't break anything or need any stitches in my forehead. After she cleared me, I began walking around in the kitchen, while the others slept. As I heard the front door open, I dashed to it. When I entered the foyer, I saw Sylva entering, with Azura close behind, a sleeping Eve in her arms. As soon as they entered, I rushed to Azura and wrapped her in a hug, squeezing her tightly.

"Thank Arceus." I said. "I thought that I had lost you."

"Don't worry," she said, "I'm alright, thanks to Sylva."

I released her and turned to Sylva, only to bring him into an embrace as well.

"Thank you so much, dude." I said.

"You're welcome." He said. "Now, could you please let go of me."

"Right." I said, releasing him.

"Well," Azura said, "I think I'm going to go shower. Sitting on the ground, tied up, for hours really gets you dirty."

"Of course." I said, nodding. "Here, you can hand Eve to me."

She handed the sleeping Flareon to me, and I held her close to my chest, as I started to scratch between her ears.

Azura started to the stairs, but turned back to say, "Just in case you aren't awake when I get out, night Sylva. And thanks for saving us."

"No problem." He replied, as she went up the stairs. When she disappeared, he turned to me, and said, "Izaak, there's something I need to tell you."

"Alright." I said. "Go ahead."

"Well," he began, "it's about the group of Pokemon that attacked you. When I found them, I sort of lost my shit." At this, he paused momentarily, before saying, "And, well, there's an almost one hundred percent chance that I killed the Blastoise."

"Alright," I replied, only slightly shocked, "your point?"

"You don't think that that's evil or anything?" He asked, obviously shocked. "I mean, I killed a Pokemon, for Arceus's sake."

"Yeah, so have I." I said, shrugging.

"Oh, yeah." He said. "I forgot about that. Damn."

"See," I said, "did that ever change how you thought of me before you knew that?"

"Well, no, not really." He said.

"See, so why should I see you any different?" I responded.

"I guess that you shouldn't, really." He replied. "I don't know, I guess that I just sort of overreacted."

"It's alright." I said, reaching over and ruffling his hair.

He sighed, before saying, "Will you stop doing that? You know that I hate it."

"What the matter?" I said, playfully. "Do you not like me treating you like a younger brother?"

"Whatever." He said, sighing again. "I think that I'm going to go to sleep now. I'm really fucking tired."

"Alright." I said, as he started upstairs. "Good night, man."

"Yeah, g'night." He replied, as he reached the top of the stairs and turned left.

I sighed, before saying, "We're a weird house."

With that, I went into the living room to wait for Azura, Eve still in my arms.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, more fun fight scenes! Right? Anyway, good night.


	10. Is Anything Really Weird Anymore?

** Is Anything Really Weird Anymore **

P.O.V Change: Rell

I was just standing in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee, when I heard a knock on the door. Curious as to who would be out here at six in the morning, let alone out here knocking on the door of a house that isn't meant to be known about, I sat my cup down and left the room, heading for the foyer. I reached the door and opened it, to be slightly surprised. Standing out in the slowly falling snow was a woman about a head shorter than me, wearing a thick coat and blue jeans. A fair distance behind her, I saw a blue Ford Focus, a Blaziken sitting in the passenger seat.

"Oh, hey Officer Mara." I greeted the off duty Chief of Police. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Good morning, Rell." She returned. "I'm sorry for coming out this early, but I have a few questions."

"It's no problem, trust me." I reassured. "Recently, we've all started getting up earlier. Really, I'm slightly surprised that I'm the only one awake. Anyway, what do you want to know?"

"Well, we've recently gotten some rather odd reports from people involving these woods." She said, producing a small notepad from one of the pockets on her coat. Flipping it open, she said, "For starters, a few days after Halloween, we got two different reports, one from a group of kids saying that some guys in very convincing Pokemon costumes attacked them for no reason, knocking one of them out, giving him a concussion, and the other from a group of men, saying that they had been ambushed by 'a fucking freak of nature' for no reason, with one of them ending up being shot. Then, more recently, we got a report from a couple of campers about finding an empty Blastoise shell near the remains of a campfire. Would you happen to know anything about these incidents?"

I chuckled lightly and scratched the back of my head nervously, before saying, "Well, we may have had something to do with those."

Her eyes widened in shock, but before she could say anything, I heard a voice say, "What did we do, exactly?"

I turned around to see Midnight coming down the stairs.

"Morning." I greeted. "I hadn't realized that you were awake."

"Well, I wasn't until a few minutes ago." She said, coming over to stand next to me. "Good morning, Officer Mara."

"Good morning, Midnight." She replied. Turning back to me, she said, "What exactly do you mean by you may have had something to do with it?"

"Well, not me specifically." I explained. "More just residents of this house. Honestly, it'd probably be easier to just talk to them about it." I turned to Midnight and said, "Can you go wake up the guys?"

"All of them?" She asked me.

"No, just the odd ones." I replied, using a random joking name.

"Why did you feel the need to call them that?" Midnight asked me. "I mean, isn't that slightly rude?"

"To an extent, yes." I heard another voice say.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak

"But, I digress." I added, as I finished putting on my shirt. I went over to Rell and Midnight and said, "So, why are Sylv and I needed?"

"Because she would like to talk to you." Rell answered, motioning towards the door.

I looked out and saw a women, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties and currently slightly chilly, standing there, a confused look on her face.

"Hello." I greeted the woman.

She stared at me, a shocked look replacing the confused one, and, after multiple moments, said, "Um, hi."

"So, why are we needed?" I asked.

Rell sighed, before saying, "Officer Mara here will explain it. Now, will you please go get Sylva so that she can speak with you?"

"Sure." I said, before heading up the stairs.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Rell

"So, I assume that you made coffee, right?" Midnight asked me. I nodded, and she said, "Alright then. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the kitchen."

With that, she left us. I turned back to see that Officer Mara still had a shocked look on her face.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

She started at me, shocked, before saying, "What do you mean? Did you not see him?"

"Who, Izaak?" I asked, curious as to what she meant. "Yeah, so what?"

As I spoke, she seemed to zone out slightly at the mention of Izaak's name, so it took her a few moments to respond.

"Why does he look like that?" She asked me.

I just shrugged and said, "Fuck if I know. He got here a few months ago, wounded all to hell from some Mightyena and a Houndoom. Azura patched him up, only for him to pass out a few minutes later. He woke up a week later, looking like that."

"Well, what is he?" She asked me.

"Half Umbreon and Half Absol." I replied. "He was originally meant to be just an Absol, but he woke up like that. We don't quite know how it happened, but we all sort of came to the unspoken agreement of it having something to do with the group that kidnapped him."

"Kidnapped him?" She asked me, showing concern.

"Yep." I replied. "When he was thirteen. Some guys broke into his family's house and killed his parents, before stealing him. Kept his ass locked up in some stasis tank, or some shit, which held off his transformation for five years."

"Damn." She replied. "Poor kid. Where did this happen, exactly?"

"I'm not sure, exactly." I replied. "He mentioned something about living in these woods, but he seemed to prefer to keep quiet about it. Although, he and Azura did stumble across that burnt up carcass of a house near town, and he sort of seemed attached to it."

This seemed to catch her attention, to an extent. She just zoned out, staring blankly ahead. I snapped multiple times in her face, trying to snap her out of it, until I succeeded.

"Sorry about that." She said, shaking her head slightly. "I just thought of something."

"Um, okay." I replied, confused. "Anyway, how have you and Ashley been doing?"

She sighed, before saying, "Why do you keep calling him that?"

I just shrugged and said, "Well, it is technically his name."

"Yeah, I guess." She replied. "We've been doing fine, thank you. These new translator ear piercings really help in our relationship, I can tell you that much."

"I can imagine." I replied.

Just as I said that, I heard a car door close. I looked over Mara's shoulder to see that very same Blaziken in question walking over to us, a slight cringe appearing on his face every time his foot landed on the snow.

"What's taking so long?" He asked, when he got over to us.

"I'm just waiting for someone." Mara replied.

"Well, could you please hurry up?" Ash asked. "You know that I hate being out here when it's snowing."

"So go and wait in the car, then." She responded.

Ash sighed, before saying, "You know that that isn't what I meant."

Taking pity on the fire bird, I said, "Do you wanna come inside, then? We have some coffee made."

"You mean that poison that you call a drink?" He replied. "I'd prefer to pass, thank you."

Mara elbowed him, before saying, "Honey, be nicer."

I chuckled, before saying, "No, he's right. It was poison. Recently we've started making real coffee, so it's actually good."

"In that case, sure." Ash replied.

"Alright then." I said. "Will you be alright waiting for them in here?"

"Of course." Mara replied.

I nodded, and led the way into the kitchen, just as Izaak was coming down the stairs, Sylva closely following him.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak

I came down the stairs with Sylva, just to see Rell and a Blaziken disappear into the dining room.

"Well, here we are." I said, as we reached the front door.

The woman just stared at me, zoned out, before shaking herself slightly, saying, "Right. I'm Police Chief Mara. It's nice to meet you two."

She stuck her hand out, and I shook it, followed by Sylva. As he pulled his hand back, she just looked at him, shocked.

"Anyway, I need to talk to you two and get some info from you." She said.

"Like what?" Sylva asked.

"Just the same info I got from the others here." She said. "Y'know, full name, height, morph status-". At the end she trailed off, before saying, "Although I'm not exactly sure what I'd put for you two."

"So, are we gonna get started?' I asked.

"Of course." She replied. "For confidentiality purposes, I have to speak with you individually. So, if one of you would wait in here, I will speak with the other one outside."

I looked at Sylva and said, "You go ahead. I need to grab some coffee, anyway."

"Alright." He replied, before being led outside, showing a fair amount of reluctance.

I sighed.  _His shyness is really odd. One day he could be fairly outgoing to us, and then as soon as he gets near anyone else, he'll just go silent and scared._ I removed the thought from my mind and went into the kitchen, to find Midnight, Rell, and the Blaziken standing there, drinking coffee. I went to the cabinet and got out a cup, a strange feeling causing the fur on the back of my neck to rise slightly. I turned from the cabinet to find that the Blaziken was watching me, this action going unnoticed by Midnight and Rell. I just looked away and got my coffee, before heading back into the foyer. I stood there, calmly drinking my coffee, before I remembered a certain item in my backpack, one that Mara may be able to help with. I went into the living room and went over to our backpacks. I looked over and saw that Azura was still fast asleep on the couch, having barely moved at all since I left. I sat my cup on the floor, before unzipping my backpack. I reached in and pulled out a bundled up t-shirt. I sat it on the floor, as well, before zipping the bag up. I picked up my coffee in one hand and the bundle in the other, before leaving the room. As I went back into the foyer, the front door opened, and Sylva came through it.

"You can go out there now." He said. As he passed me, he stopped for a second, and said, "What's with the shirt?"

"Just something that needs to be taken care of." I replied, as I reached the door.

I opened it and went outside into the snow, to see that Mara was currently standing next to her car, biting her lip, a look of nervousness on her face.

"Hello." I said, walking over to her.

"Hey." She returned, waving slightly. She noticed the shirt in my hand, and gestured towards it, saying, "What's with that?"

"It's actually something that I was hoping you could help me with." I said, sitting the shirt and my coffee on the hood of her car.

I finished unwrapping the shirt, revealing a small handgun. I looked up at Mara to see that her eyes were wide with shock.

"Where the hell did you get that?" She asked me.

"Well, I assume that one of the reasons you came out here is what happened on Halloween." I said. "This gun is the one that I took from that jackass, which I then used to shoot him." I held it out to her, and said, "And I was sort of hoping that you could find something to do with this. I don't want it around the house."

"Of course." She said, taking the gun from my hands.

She went around to the driver side door of her car and opened it, before leaning in. After a few moments, she closed the door and came back over to me, still looking nervous.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, concerned. "You seem rather worried."

She sighed, before saying, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that-". She cut off, freezing for a second, before saying, "Oh, fuck it."

I was surprised when she suddenly wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Um, what are you doing, exactly?" I asked, confused.

"Please tell me that it really is you, Izaak." She responded. "Please let it be you."

"Yes, my name is Izaak." I said. "I thought we already covered that."

"That's not what I meant." She said, her voice slightly muffled due to her face being pushed into my chest. "I meant, is it you, Izaak?"

"What do you mean?" I asked. "You still haven't explained what the hell you mean."

She let go of me and stared up at me, a twinkle of hopefulness in her eyes.

"Izaak, it's me." She said. "It's April, your sister."

I froze, shocked.

"A-April?" I said, looking down at her. She nodded, and I wrapped her in an extremely tight hug, saying, "Holy shit, I didn't think that I would ever see you again."

April didn't respond, instead just burying her head into my chest. I could feel the fabric of my shirt get slightly wet with what I assume to be tears. We just stood like that, the snow slowly falling around us, the only sound being April's quiet sobs. We eventually released each other, and we stood there, eyes locked, a few tears still rolling down April's smiling face.

"Arceus, Izaak," April said, breaking the silence, "it's been so long. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." I said, pulling her into another quick hug.

"I'm so confused though." She said. "I mean, everyone thought that you had died with mom and dad, yet here you stand, alive and well."

"I know, it's weird." I replied. "Especially with me being a morph. So, I assume that the Blaziken is Ash, right?"

"Yeah." She replied, wiping her face. "He evolved not too long after I left. I meant to call you guys and tell you, but I never really got the chance."

"It's perfectly fine." I said. "So, I assume that you two are still dating."

She looked up at me, shocked, and said, "How did you know that? The only person I've ever told was Rell, and he only knows me as Officer Mara."

"It wasn't that hard to discover, really." I replied. "You barely hid it, to be honest. But, how have you guys been able to stay together this long without proper communication?"

She pulled her hair back, revealing that each of her ears had small studs in them.

"So they finally finished the translator studs." I said. "Interesting. So, what's the deal with the whole 'Officer Mara' thing?"

"After what happened, I decided to move back here." She said. "I didn't want people to know who I was, so I changed my last name to Mara and became a cop. The only person who knows who I am is Rell's father. But, that doesn't matter now. We have to catch up, and you need to tell me where you've been for the past few years."

"Alright." I said. "How about I go and get Ash and Azura and we take a walk in the woods?"

"Why is Azura coming?" She asked me.

"I figure that my girlfriend may want to meet my sister." I replied, heading for the door.

I heard April quietly say, "Girlfriend?"

I entered the house and went into the living room. I went around the couch to see that Azura was still asleep. I crouched down in front of her and lightly shook her.

She stirred slightly in her sleep, so I repeated the action, saying, "Hey Azura, wake up."

She slowly opened her eyes, staring at me drowsily with her brilliant blue irises.

"Morning Izaak." She greeted, yawning silently as she reached an arm around me, pulling me closer to her. "How long have you been up?"

"Only about twenty minutes or so." I replied. "But, you need to get up, as well. We're going to go take a little walk in the woods."

"Why?" She asked me, sitting up.

"There's someone that I want you to meet." I replied. "Now, c'mon, get up."

"Hold on, don't be so impatient." She said, swinging her legs off of the couch.

"Well, hurry up." I said, as I began to put on my shoes. "I'll go ahead and grab you some coffee, if you want."

"Thanks." She said, standing up.

I reached over to her and ruffled the fur between her ears, saying, "No problem."

She sighed, and said, "You really love doing that, don't you?"

"Only to you and Sylva." I replied.

"Why is that, exactly?" She asked.

"Well, for Sylva I enjoy the fact that it seems to annoy him slightly," I answered, "and it just looks extremely cute on you."

She chuckled lightly, before saying, "Thanks."

I finished putting on my boots, before grabbing my jacket and putting it on. As Azura started getting ready, I left the room, heading for the kitchen. I entered to see that Midnight, Rell, and Ash were still in there, with Rell and Midnight now making breakfast.

"Hey, are you already done talking?" Rell asked me.

"To an extent." I replied, getting down a coffee cup for Azura. "We still have a lot to talk about, so we're going to go walk through the woods."

As I filled the cup with coffee, Midnight said, "Well, who's the other coffee for?"

"Azura." I replied. "She's coming with us." I turned around to face Ash, and said, "As are you, Ashley."

"How do you know his name?" Rell asked me.

"More importantly," Ash said, "why the hell did you just call me Ashley?"

I shrugged and said, "Well, it is technically your name. Anyways, we need to get going."

"What the hell are you talking about, you weird fucker?" Ash said.

"I'm talking about the fact that April, you, Azura, and myself are going to go on a walk in the woods, you over cooked chicken." I replied, using my old joking insult for him.

"What did you just call me?" Ash growled out.

"You know what I called you." I said. "And please don't try to do anything. I kicked your ass when you were a Combusken, and I can kick it now, as well. And don't pull the whole 'I've evolved' thing, because I wasn't even a morph back then."

Ash just looked at me, confused, as Rell said, "Izaak, what the hell are you going on about?"

"I'll explain later." I said, heading for the exit. "Anyway, you need to hurry up, Ash."

With that, I left the room. I went into the foyer to see that Azura was waiting in there, her jacket zipped up on her torso.

"You ready?" I asked, handing her the coffee.

"Yeah, I guess." She replied, before taking a drink from the cup. "So, remind me please, why are we going out into the woods this early?"

"Because there is someone that you need to meet." I replied, heading to the door.

Azura followed me, and I opened the door to see that April was still standing at her car.

"Oh, hello Officer Mara." Azura greeted. "It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise." April replied.

"So, um," Azura said, as we went over to April's car, "who exactly am I here to meet?"

I motioned towards April and said, "Her."

"Izaak, we already established that I know Officer Mara." Azura said.

"Yes, you know Officer Mara," I said, picking my coffee up from the car's hood, "but you don't know April Ryuto."

"What?" Azura asked me.

"To put it simply," April said, "I'm Izaak's sister, April."

"Seriously." Azura said, shocked. I nodded, and she said, "Why did you change your name then?"

"I'll explain that later." April replied. "For right now, let's just wait on Ash."

"I'm here." I heard a voice say behind me.

I turned around to see Ash coming our way, holding to coffee cups.

"Here," he said, handing one to April when he reached us, "I got you some coffee. Figured you could use it."

"Thanks." April replied, taking a drink.

"So, anyone actually going to explain why we're out here?" Ash asked. "Or, even better, why I shouldn't roast the half blood here?"

"Stop being so hostile to Izaak, Ash." April said, nudging the Blaziken. "He's like your brother, for Arceus's sake."

"What?" Ash asked, confused. "What the hell are you people talking about?"

I sighed, before saying, "You still aren't the brightest person in the world, are you? Allow me to spell it out for you. I am Izaak Ryuto. Contrary to popular belief, I didn't die in the fire, nor was I killed by anything else, despite coming damn close to it multiple times recently."

"What?" He said. "Seriously?"

"Yes." I replied. "Now, c'mon, let's go for a walk."

We started for the gate, my free arm wrapped around Azura's shoulder, and Ash and April next to us.

* * *

"I still don't really understand this." April said, shaking her head slightly.

"What is there to not understand?" I asked.

"Pretty much the whole damn thing." She replied, sighing. "I mean, what the hell is with the past six years of your life?"

"I don't know." I said, shrugging. "All I know is that they were extremely weird and, for the most part, extremely shitty."

"That's not too far off, really." Ash agreed.

"So, anyway," I started, as we entered a small clearing, "when will you tell us what you two have been doing as of late?"

April sighed, and said, "Let's sit down here and take a small break, and I'll tell you. Just remember, it's nowhere near as interesting as your story."

"I'm alright with that." I said, as we all sat down.

Azura put her head on my shoulder, and I could feel her let out a muffled yawn. I wrapped my arm around her, and she relaxed onto me.

"Well, I pretty much spent my time like any aspiring trainer would," April began, "I trained my Pokemon, battled random trainers, battled gym leaders."

"And when that wasn't happening," Ash interjected, "we were spending time together."

"Right." April agreed. "I guess it's due to people openly accepting morphs in Kanto, but over there they are much more open minded. This made life much more enjoyable for us, as that meant that we no longer had to hide our relationship. Life was good, difficult at times, but still very enjoyable."

"Sounds like it." I commented.

"It was." April said. "Anyway, I eventually made an unbeatable team, with Ash leading it, obviously. So, we ended up getting all eight badges, so we began training to take on the Elite Four."

"You got all the way to the Elite Four?" Azura asked.

"Technically, we got farther." Ash replied.

"Damn." Azura replied.

"So, anyway, we began training." April said. "Due to this, we didn't get too much time to actually go on dates, but we just dealt with it. Eventually, Ash convinced me that everyone should take a break, so I checked the others into a Poke-spa and we went on the first date we had had for months. It was on the date that we met Lance."

"Wait, as in Pokemon Champion Lance?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes." April replied. "We ended up running into him and his girlfriend, Bailey, and we really hit it off. We all became friends, even going on double dates sometimes. We all got to know each other, as friends do, which made the battle against him much better than it normally would have been. We didn't really treat it as a battle of Champion versus Challenger, but more of a battle between friends. I mean, Bailey was even allowed to come out and watch the battle."

"Interesting." I replied. "So, what happened?"

April took a deep breath, before continuing, "We had almost beaten him. He was on his last Pokemon, his Charizard, and I had Ash out there, with almost my whole team still ready to fight. Charizard was weakened, already trying to keep from collapsing, and I knew that he could only take one more hit. It was then that I got the call. Just as I was about to tell Ash to deal the winning blow, my phone went off in my pocket. We called a quick time out for me to take it, so I answered. I remember how it happened perfectly. As the voice came over the phone, I tried to remain calm. As soon as he hung up, I just froze, too shocked to do anything. The others noticed my change in attitude, so they rushed over to see what was wrong. Ash was the first to reach me. He asked me what was wrong, and I replied with, 'They're gone, Ash. Mom, dad, and Izaak are gone.' He asked me what I meant, and I explained. By the time that I was done, tears had started rolling down my face, and I found myself buried in three different pairs of arms at the same time. I couldn't continue with the fight. Lance wanted to just go ahead and give me the title of having beaten him, even the referee was willing to, but I refused to accept it. I booked the first flight back home, but I had to wait a few days to leave, which gave me time to speak to my other Pokemon." She stopped for a second to wipe away a few tears that had formed in her eyes, before continuing, "So, I sat them down, and we had a talk. I gave them a choice: either stay with me and come home here, or be released, and I told them that I would return them to their families if they wanted me to. Most of them chose to be released, of course. Granted, I couldn't really blame them. While they did all seem to enjoy working with me, they had their own families."

"Did any of them actually stay?" Azura asked.

"Other than Ash, only one." April replied. "Would you guys like to meet him?"

"Sure." I replied, while Azura just nodded her head.

April reached into her pocket and pulled out a small red and white orb. She pressed the button on its front, and it grew to about the size of the palm of my hand.

"He normally stays out, as well," April explained, "but he was extremely tired this morning, so he wanted to sleep in here, so he could still come with me." She lightly threw the ball down in front of her, saying, "Come on out, Dante."

There was the sound of the ball opening, followed by a flash of light. When the light dissipated, there was an Umbreon standing there, yawning widely.

He noticed April and Ash, and said, "Good morning, April. Good morning, Ash." The Umbreon looked around and noticed us, and said, "Oh. Um, hello."

"Hello." I greeted.

"Hey." Azura said, waving slightly.

Dante looked over to April, before looking back at us, and then back at April, before saying, "Not to be rude, but who exactly are these two?"

I chuckled lightly, as April responded, "Well, they would be my brother, Izaak, and his girlfriend, Azura."

"Izaak?" the Moonlight Pokemon said, confused. "But, April, I thought that he had passed away."

"Well, I thought so, as well." April replied. "That is, until today."

Dante looked up at me, and said, "So you are truly alive?"

"Yes." I replied. "And before you ask how, I just explained it, so I really don't feel like doing it again. Let's just leave it at I'm not dead, just weird."

"I'll say." I heard the Umbreon say under his breath.

"Be nice." April said, scoffing.

"He said it first." Dante defended. "I was just agreeing. And besides, it isn't like I'm wrong."

April sighed, but I just shrugged my shoulders, saying, "He has a point."

Dante looked over at Azura, and said, "And you are his mate?"

April and I both sighed, and I said, "We prefer the term dating."

"Although if you want to get technical." Azura said.

I let out a groan, and said, "Do you consistently have to say that? Do you really feel the need to tell everyone our private business?"

Azura laughed, and said, "Yep. But remember, I'll stop as soon as you stop having such a funny reaction to it."

I just sighed, and said, "You know you annoy me sometimes, right?"

"Of course." Azura replied, as I wrapped my arm around her in a hug. "But that's one of the many reasons that you love me."

I sighed again, and said, "I can't argue with that."

I heard a muffled laugh, and I looked over to see that both Ash and April were losing the fight to hold back laughter.

"How about we head home?" I said. "I'm starting to get slightly hungry, and we still need to tell the others about our revelation."

The others agreed, and we all got up. As I got to my feet, Dante quickly climbed up my body to sit on my shoulder, not leaving a single mark on my clothes.

"Um, what are you doing?" I asked him, confused.

"Sitting on your shoulders." He replied, simply.

April sighed, before saying, "Dante, you know that that isn't what he meant."

"Well, I don't feel like walking, and your fur looked soft." He said.

"He's right, it is soft." Azura interjected.

"That, and I was curious as to whom the scent on you belonged to, as I didn't recognize it as one of yours." He added.

April looked at me, confused, so I explained, "Eve. She likes to sit up there, as well."

"Wait, you found Eve?" April said, surprised.

"Yeah." I answered. "She was living in the old house. Granted, she actually found us, and tried to torch us in the process. But, she did move in, so take the encounter however you will."

"Wait, torched?" Ash asked. "She evolved?"

"Yep." I replied. "She's now a Flareon."

"Interesting." Dante said, from my shoulder.

"Hey, you be careful around her." I said. "She's like a daughter to me."

"I won't hurt her." Dante said. "I promise that I will cause her no harm."

"Good." I replied, as we started walking.

"Although, if she asks for it." Dante added, under his breath.

I just sighed, and said, "You know that I will skin you, right?"

* * *

"What?" Rell asked, staring at me, confused.

"What do you mean what?" I responded.

"What normally means that the person is confused," Midnight said, "so, allow me to reiterate. What?"

"What is there to be confused about?" I asked, absentmindedly scratching the sleeping Eeveelutions on my shoulders.

"Well, sort of the part about her being your sister." Markus said.

I just sighed, leaning my chair back slightly. As soon as we had gotten home, I had called an impromptu family meeting in the dining room. When everyone had gathered in the dining room, I had explained my latest discovery. While I was doing that, Dante and Eve had gotten acquainted, and they had decided to jump up onto my shoulders, before promptly falling asleep.

"What is there to not understand about that?" I asked. "Twenty seven years ago our parents met. Twenty six years ago they got married. Twenty four years ago my mother had April. Nineteen years ago my mother had me. How is that so complicated, for Arceus's sake?"

"That's not the part that is hard to understand," Rell said, "it's the fact that we've known April for years, and we never knew that she even had a brother."

"What's so odd about that?" April asked. "I mean, we haven't exactly hung out before, and I don't normally share things about my personal life too much, especially after I changed my name."

"I guess that I can see the logic in that." Rell said. "Although this still seems odd."

"Rell, after what's happened this year, is anything really weird anymore?" Sylva asked.

Rell sighed, before saying, "That should be the case, yes, but, sadly, it isn't."


	11. I'm Going to Revamp Your Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a quick fair warning. These chapters are put up directly from my main account, the one on FFnet, which is why there will be review responses that you guys don't recognize. So, just keep that in mind.
> 
> So, I'm back with another chapter. As a fair warning, not all of the chapters will include action and adventure, as shown by this chapter. But, if you want action and adventure, just wait until later in the story... Anyway, yeah, new chapter. So, while writing this I actually had to go back to chapter five to make sure I was getting some stuff right, to where there weren't any inconsistencies, and I discovered just how many grammatical errors there were in that chapter. If you didn't catch them, there were a fucking lot. So, yeah, I guess that's why I shouldn't write at five in the morning. *Glances at clock*... Shut up, I'm actually not tired right now, so it works. Anyway, now for reviews.
> 
> Conspiracy: Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, about the whole Sylva thing. I hadn't meant to make him seem overpowered, I had merely wanted to play off of his enemies being scared because such an odd (no offense, but he does look odd, albeit, bad ass) looking Umbreon confronted them, before shooting fire at them. The fear would then make them not concentrate as much, making it an extremely easy victory. I was also working off of the rage and adrenaline that he would have felt because of how they treated Azura and Eve. Trust me, I'm trying to keep people from being overpowered. As for the shy part, my mind sort of came up with two different ways he acts. When he's around people that he doesn't really know, then he is shy and slightly scared, but, when he is either around no one except for people that he's know for a while, or if the situation calls for it, he can be fairly brash and unlike himself, especially when defending his friends. Truthfully, though, I always feel like I sort of butchered Sylva's character, and just made him to much unlike who he truly is, so I'm trying to right my wrongs in future chapters, just like I am doing with both Izaak in this story, as well as Shane in my HGW story, as they have both been dubbed "overpowered", as well. But, I also told Sylvas that, as he is his character, if I'm ever displaying Sylva incorrectly that he should contact me and ask me to fix it in later chapters. But, I digress.
> 
> Anon19: *Sigh*. Okay, I'm going to take your review in parts with my explanation, so here we go. First off, yes, gluten is, in fact, a chemical/ingredient. What you are thinking of, the process of dough rising and getting airier, is called yeast fermentation, and is caused by the fungus named yeast, which is found in dough, turning the dough's sugar into carbon dioxide and ethanol. Essentially, gluten is a real thing. Second, no, gluten/gluten intolerance is, in no way, anything like a fucking placebo (sugar pill). A made up disease isn't something that two doctors diagnose someone with. A made up disease does not keep you from sleeping at night because you're too busy being doubled over in pain. A made up disease does not cause you to wake up in the middle of the few nights when you do get sleep because you are about to experience extremely painful vomiting. And, yes, gluten free food exists, and it tastes fucking delicious. Now, you may be asking how I know this, which, if you are, that means that you didn't read the Author's Note on the chapter. But, to sum it up, my sister suffered from a severe gluten intolerance for about a year, only being aware of it for a few months of the time, before it seemed to calm down some and she learned how to keep it under control to where she doesn't vomit constantly, although that does still happen, occasionally. During the time prior to her diagnosis, we had no idea what she had, so she couldn't have thought that it was gluten intolerance, and therefor imagined the effects of it, as she didn't even know that a thing called gluten existed until she was diagnosed. So, please, don't try and argue with me about something that you clearly know nothing about. It's nothing more than a waste of my time.

 

* * *

 

** I'm Going to Revamp Your Christmas **

I awoke to feel myself being shaken roughly.

"C'mon, Izaak." I heard Azura whine. "Wake up."

I opened my eyes to see that I was face to face with the beautiful Glaceon, and that she was shaking me awake.

"Alright, alright, I'm awake." I said, pulling her into a tight hug. "You don't need to be so pushy."

I held her to me for multiple seconds, before releasing her. When I did so, I saw a giant smile plastered to her face.

I chuckled, and said, "Not that I have any issue with it, but what's gotten you so happy this early?"

Azura scoffed, and said, "Do you not know what day it is?"

I thought for a second, before saying, "I don't know, Saturday? You know that I haven't really kept track of the week days since I moved in here."

Azura sighed, before saying, "No, silly. It's December first."

"Umm, okay." I said, still confused. "Your point?"

She sighed again, and said, "That means that Christmas is really close."

"Alright, then." I replied. "So, do you guys do anything special for Christmas, or something?"

"I'm not quite sure, actually." She answered, her ears faltering slightly from their upright position. "I mean, for all of the previous years I haven't been able to be home for it." Her ears suddenly perked back up again, and she wrapped her arms around me in a hug, saying, "But, now I can be, thanks to you."

I chuckled and returned the hug, saying, "Oh, right. Your heat doesn't normally end until a day or two before New Years, does it?"

"Yep." She responded. "But, now, thanks to the best person in the world, I can be with my family to celebrate my favorite holiday."

"I hadn't realized that you cured your heat yourself." I joked.

"Oh, shut up." She said, lightly punching my arm. "You know that I hate it when you pull that stupid 'stereotypical lovey-dovey couple compliment reversal' bullshit."

"And that would be why I do it so much." I said, planting a kiss on her cheek. "So, since we are already up, how about we head downstairs?"

"Alright." She said. "But, I need to change first. I'm still wearing sleep clothes."

"Alright then." I said, releasing her.

She got off of the couch, and I followed. As she went over to her backpack, I picked up my phone, before checking the time.

"Damn, Azura." I remarked. "Did you get up early enough? It's fucking five in the morning."

"Sorry, but I've always gotten really excited about Christmas, which, in turn makes me excited about December in general." She replied.

I just chuckled, pocketing my phone. I bent down at my backpack and got out a plain black shirt. I turned around, the shirt in hand, but got distracted by the sight in front of me. Azura was busy getting dressed, and she was wearing nothing but her jeans, showing off her wonderfully flat stomach and large bust.  _Arceus, how did I get so lucky? I somehow get to date the nicest and most beautiful woman in the world._

Azura seemed to notice that I spaced out while watching her, as she threw a shirt at me, saying, "Enjoying the view?"

I went over to Azura and wrapped my arms around her, bring her into a hug. I bent my head down and locked my lips with hers, slipping my tongue into her mouth. She locked her tongue with mine, and we wrestled for a few seconds. We stayed like that until we both had to let go for air, which we did, coming away gasping for breath.

"So," Azura asked, between pants, "any specific reason as to why we did that?"

I chuckled, and said, "Well, did you like it?"

"Of course." She replied, leaning up against me. "But satisfaction doesn't always satiate curiosity."

I smiled down at her, and said, "Oh? Well, how about we just say that I felt that it would be nice for both of us."

"Well, you weren't wrong." She said. "But, we really should get dressed. I mean, what if someone comes in here?"

"C'mon, Az, it's five in the morning." I said. "Who the fuck will be up besides us?"

She just rolled her eyes, and said, "Whatever."

As Azura got dressed, I pulled my shirt on, before putting my shoes on. When we were done, we left and went to the kitchen, where we found Sylva already in there, sipping a cup of coffee, with Eve wrapped around his neck, asleep.

"What do you know?" I commented. "I guess that someone else is awake."

"G'morning guys." Sylva greeted us, slurring slightly with obvious tire.

"What's up with you?" Azura asked him, as we went over to get our own drinks.

"I barely slept at all last night." He replied.

"Why the hell would you do that?" I asked.

"It's not like I chose to."He said. He indicated towards Eve, and said, "It was her."

I sighed, already having an idea of what it was. Recently, Eve's taken a liking around with Sylva. She's been hanging out with him almost constantly, even sleeping in the same room as him. This truly seemed to have an interesting effect on Sylva, as he now treated her like his daughter. It also seemed to help him mature some, as he used to be fairly childish, unless the situation demanded his rapt attention. Yet, somehow, this little Flareon had managed to help him out some. Granted, he still is fairly childish, just not quite as much.

"Let me guess." I said. "Nightmares?"

"Yeah, actually." He replied, sounding slightly confused and fairly curious. "How did you know?"

"She used to have them constantly." I answered. "She'd normally sleep in either my room or April's, and whomever's she slept in, the owner rarely got sleep."

"How the hell could you guys handle it?" He asked. "I mean, this is only the third night in a row, and I'm already constantly tired."

I shrugged, and said, "Well, we just got used to it, I guess. I mean, it does require a lot of time to grow accustomed to it, but we dealt with it."

"Well, I just hope that I can get used to it." Sylva said, sighing. "As much as I love the little Flareon, it's slightly annoying having to keep her from setting things on fire."

"What?" Azura asked, alarmed. "Did she actually set something on fire last night?"

"Not quite." Sylva replied. "She mostly just shot off some sparks, occasionally actually reaching a small flame, but nothing more happened. Although, she did char my fur some."

As he said that, he waved his tail in front of him and caught it in his hand. He held it up and pointed at the tip, where I could see some fur missing from his tail.

"Ouch." I remarked. "That can't have felt very good."

"Yeah, not really." He replied, releasing his tail. He sighed, and said, "But, I'll just deal with it, I guess."

At this point, Rell entered the room, saying, "What are you going to deal with?"

"A Flareon that has frequent nightmares and catches things on fire during them." Sylva replied.

"Should I be worried about that?" Rell asked him. "I mean, we could accidently start a forest fire out here."

"I doubt that anything will happen." I reassured him. "I mean, she lived with me for years, and nothing went wrong."

"Yes, well she didn't spit fire back then." Rell pointed out.

"True," I acknowledged, "but, no matter the strength of the attack, it's never fun waking up to a Shadow Ball to the face."

"Yeah, well, thankfully that hasn't happened yet." Sylva said. "I've been burned so much in the past to where it doesn't really hurt me much."

We all just looked at him, confused.

I broke the silence by saying, "Not gonna ask." Turning back to Rell, I asked, "So, what are you doing up this early?"

"Well, as stupid as this sentence will sound, I got tired of being asleep." He answered. I stared at him, confused, and he explained, "I've got this odd talent to where I can make myself wake up with ease, rather than just wait."

"So, essentially, you got bored." Azura said.

"Yep." He replied, nodding. He looked over at Azura, and said, "So, I don't have to ask why you two are up so early, do I?"

Azura giggled, and said, "No, not really. But, in my defense, I've always loved Christmas, and now, thanks to Izaak, I'll actually be able to spend it with my family."

"Why is that?" Sylva asked me, curiosity.

We all deadpanned, and an awkward silence filled the room. I looked around and saw that everyone was looking at me expectantly.

I sighed, and said, "I'll explain it to you later, Sylv. For now, just leave it at she got ill, and I helped her with it."

"Ill?" He repeated. "Do you mean that she was in heat?"

We all looked at him, shocked, and Azura asked, "How did you know about that?"

Sylva pointed to the sleeping Flareon around his shoulders, and said, "She told me. I can't quite remember how we got on the topic, but we did."

"Then why did you ask me?" I questioned him.

He shrugged, and said, "I thought that it'd be fun to see your reaction."

I sighed, and said, "Whatever." Turning back to Rell, I asked, "So, do you guys actually do anything special for Christmas?"

"Not really." He replied. "I mean, my dad and sister come over, and that's about it."

"Seriously?" I said. "No gifts, no baked goods? No tree?"

"Well, I mean, we normally get each other small gifts." He replied. "But, other than that, nothing else."

"How do you get each other gifts?" I asked him.

"Well, it's normally just me, and everyone tells me what they want to get who." He explained. "I then put on a little disguise that somehow seems to work, go to town on my bike, and then only go to the stores run by people that I know."

"You have a bike?" I said. "As in, like, pedals and a bell?"

He laughed, and said, "No, as in, an orange and black Kawasaki Ninja 650 bike. Do you really think that I would ride a real bike?"

"Actually, yes." I replied. "But, really, I can't believe that you have that bike. Kawasaki's in general are awesome."

"You are not wrong." Rell agreed.

I heard Azura laugh, before saying, "Oh, you boys and your bikes."

"Hey, they're nice." I defended. "Anyway, back to the topic at hand. So, from what I've been told, I'm going to have to make some serious changes around here."

"What do you mean?" Rell asked me.

"Well, no offense, but your guys' Christmas sucks." I replied.

"Yeah, none taken." Azura said. "I mean, I may never have experienced it here, and I still feel as if that would suck."

Rell sighed, and said, "Well then, what exactly do you plan to do to fix it?"

I thought for a second, before saying, "Well, for starters, we're actually going to go outside and get a tree. We'll also bake Christmas cookies, of course, as well as other sweet things."

"Well then, what about the gift part?" He asked.

"Just leave that to me." I said, a smile spreading across my face.

"Whatever." He said, before walking over to the coffee pot.

* * *

"Thank you so much, April." I said, through the phone, my voice echoing slightly in the empty kitchen. "I'm sure that this will make the holidays awesome for everyone."

I heard my sister laugh through the speaker, before saying, "Hey, there's no need to thank me. I mean, it is technically your money as well."

"Well, still, you legally have control over it." I said.

"Yeah, I guess." She replied. "So, you and Rell will be over to pick it up when, exactly?"

"On Saturday." I said. "Seriously though, thank you so much. This means a lot to me."

She laughed again, and said, "So, is there any real reason as to why you're doing this, or is it just because?"

"Honestly, I feel as if I should thank everyone." I explained. "I mean, they accepted me with open arms, deal with the constant adventures that I've put everyone through, and they even allowed Sylva and Eve to live here, as well. So, I thought, what better way to say thank you than make this the best damn Christmas that they've ever had."

"That's so nice." April said. "It's wonderful to see that all that's happened to you over the years hasn't affected your personality."

I chuckled, and said, "Anyway, I better get going. I need to go and tell the guys the good news."

"Alright then." She said. "I guess that I'll see you Saturday. Love you, Izaak."

"You too." I said, before hanging up the phone.

I pocketed my phone, before heading to the living room. As I was passing through the foyer, I glanced up to the circular window above the front door, to see that the moon was already a fair distance in the sky. I entered the living room to see that everyone was already in there, watching something on T.V.

"Oh, good," I said, upon entrance, "everyone's already here."

"Why exactly is that good?" Markus asked me.

"Because, I was about to call for a family meeting." I said.

"Okay then." Midnight said. "Why, exactly?"

"Because," I said, going to stand in front of them, "I am going to revamp your Christmas."

Rell laughed, before saying, "Oh, so have you finally finished coming up with your plan?"

"Indeed I have." I replied.

"And, why exactly do you plan to do this?" Midnight asked me.

"Because, your past Christmas's sucked." I said, bluntly.

"Gee, thanks." Rell said.

"Anyway," I said, "I decided that, as a thank you for accepting me, all of the stupid shit that I get us involved in, and my two strays so willingly, I shall make this your best Christmas ever."

"Y'know, I resent that remark." Sylva spoke up, indignantly.

Eve just sighed, and said, "As do I."

"It was a joke, calm down." I said. "So, to do this, I have come up with a plan. Phase one involves one or two of us going out with an axe and chopping down a suitable Christmas tree. Which, that should be easy, as almost all of the trees here are pines."

"Sounds simple enough." Alice said. "Phase two?"

"Phase two involves all of us using our cooking skills to make baked goods." I said.

"So, what, cookies and shit?" Markus asked.

"Cookies, small cakes, pies, anything, as long as it is delicious and gluten free." I replied.

"Shouldn't be too hard." Midnight said. "That is, as long as we can keep Markus from eating them prior to it actually being Christmas."

The Lucario chuckled, before saying, "Hey, it's not my fault that I like sugar."

"So, what of phase three?" Rell asked. "You mentioned this morning that it involved the gift situation."

At this, everyone's ears except for Azura's and Rell's perked up, and their eyes were locked onto me.

"Gifts?" Markus said. "What about the gifts?"

I couldn't help but laugh at their reaction.  _Wow, they really are like children. Granted, none of them have ever really had a true Christmas, so I can't blame them._

"So, as you all now know, I come from a fairly rich family, and I now have access to the money, due to April and I being reunited." I said. "So, I had an idea, and I spoke with April about it, and she agreed to get me the money. So, on Saturday, which is five days away, Rell and I will go into town and she will give us the money. We will then go shopping for you guys, getting your gifts. But, you guys get to decide what you want."

The reaction was instantaneous. Everyone's eyes lit up, and smiles spread across their face.

"Seriously?" Midnight asked. "We get to choose?"

"Yep." I said. "You each get to pick ten things that you want, and I will get them for you. Anything that cannot be obtained in town I can order online, so don't worry about that. Pretty much, the only restrictions are no vehicles or anything like that, and no living things."

"Are you being completely serious?" Markus asked. "Like, this isn't some sick prank, right?"

"Of course I'm serious." I said. "So, just have your lists done in five days, and we'll be good. Family dismissed."

With that, they all leapt up. Alice and Rell left the room, while Midnight and Markus came over to Azura and I.

"Hey, Izaak." Markus said.

"Yes?" I replied.

"So, we were discussing it with Rell, and we decided that since I'm almost eighteen and Midnight is already eighteen, that we can move in together." He said. "And, well, that leaves an empty room."

"Yes, it does." I agreed.

"Which means that you and Azura now get your own room." Midnight finished.

"Really?" Azura asked, jumping up from the couch to stand next to me. "We get your room?"

"Of course." Markus said. "I moved into Midnight's room already and took all of my stuff with me, so it's already empty for you guys."

"Thanks." I said, pulling them both into a hug. "That's awesome."

"Well, I mean, it had to go to someone." Markus said, slightly nervously. "And, well, you two have been here longer then Sylva, so it went to you."

I released them, and said, "Still, it's awesome."

They nodded to me, before leaving the room. I looked around, and noticed who hadn't left the room. Sylva. He was currently sitting on the couch, looking downcast. Both worried and confused, I sat down next to him.

"What's up?" I asked. "You don't exactly seem excited, or even happy, really."

"Trust me, I'm happy." He said. "Just feeling slightly crippled."

"Why?" I asked him.

He sighed, and said, "Think about it. What will the others ask for? If I had to guess, stereotypical teenager things, like computers and game consoles and stuff like that. None of that is of use for me, so what exactly am I meant to ask for?"

"What do you mean?" I questioned, confused. "I thought that your psychic powers allow you to see?"

"Yeah, solid objects." He clarified. "I can't see different frequencies of lights. Therefore, any electronic screen just looks like a solid wall of light to me, and nothing else, which is why I'm never too interested in what everyone's watching on T.V. I just like sitting in here and hanging out with you guys."

"Well, that does seem rather shitty." I agreed. Looking at him, I could see how downcast he was, so I said, "How about you just leave that to me. I promise that I can find you something that you'll both like, and be able to use."

"Whatever." He said, getting up.

He then left the room, his ears drooping and his tail dragging the floor.

I sighed, and said, "Poor kid. It's so easy to forget that he can't actually see, so that when we are reminded of it, it's like a giant fist to the face."

"Yeah." Azura agreed, dropping down onto the couch next to me. "I feel so bad for him. I mean, he has to deal with his messed up eyes, as well as all of his medical issues."

"Yep." I said, solemnly. "But, that just means that I will have to make this Christmas even better for him."

Azura laughed, and said, "Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, how about we go move into our new room and go to sleep?"

"Sure." I said, rising.

We both grabbed our backpacks and went upstairs. We went to the farthest door on the right side and entered. The room was stripped of all personal effects, leaving the desk, rolling chair, bedside table, and bed. We entered and dropped our bags on the ground.

Azura sighed, and said, "I really can't wait to sleep on a bed for the first time in years."

"Well then, why wait?" I asked.

She smiled at me, before tackling me onto the bed. I managed to take my shirt off with her lying on top of me, and when it was off, Azura buried her face into my chest fur.

"Y'know, you really are the best boyfriend ever." She said, slightly muffled.

"Yeah, I know." I joked, stroking the back of her head.

We stayed like that until we fell asleep.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was a fun chapter, right? Yeah, I know that it was shorter than most of my chapters for all of my stories (with the exception of NSMNS, as that story just isn't easy to come up with content for, although it is getting easier), but it is important all the same, and will help lead up to other chapters.
> 
> Okay, so, time for a shameless self plug. So, I recently put up my AO3 exclusive story, and it appears to have fallen under the unspoken rule of AO3. Essentially, to me at least, it appears that any story on that site that isn't porn, no once cares about. So, It'd be amazing if you guys could at least check out the summary in my profile and, if it piques your interest, check out the story itself. Granted, I could always move it over here, but I would have to change it slightly, which I would prefer to not have to do. But, I will if it's views don't pick up. Honestly, though, I'm probably going to stop updating all stories on that site, just because I'm pretty sure that most of the audience of them actually came from here. So, yeah, there's that.
> 
> Anyway, have a nice day, kids.


	12. He's an Umbreon that Shoots Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a pot of coffee and almost five hours later, here is the next chapter of my "Shit, school starts back Friday, so let's get a new chapter out for all of my stories" Update Marathon. Yeah, so, what I'm doing is I'm trying to challenge myself to write a new chapter for all seven of my stories, and put them up, all in twenty-four hours. I've currently done The Reclamation of Aeon City, Ashes to Ashes, and, now, this. So, let's go.

 

* * *

 

**He's an Umbreon That Shoots Fire. How in the Hell do you Intend on Taking him Down?**

"So, do you have all of them?" I asked Rell.

"Yep." He replied, handing me the papers. "This is all of them."

I quickly flipped through the lists, counting them. When I was done, I noticed something wrong.

"Rell, we appear to be short one." I said. I checked the names, and said, "And it'd be yours."

He just shrugged, and said, "Well, I don't want anything."

I sighed, and said, "C'mon, Rell. Give me the fucking list."

I held my hand out, waiting.

"I promise, I don't want anything." He persisted. I just smirked at him, and he sighed, and said, "Fucking fine."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to me, and I put all of the lists in my pocket.

"So," He asked me, as we left the kitchen, "what are you going to do about Sylva?"

I sighed, shrugging, and replied, "Honestly, I don't really know. I mean, I feel so bad for him. He's still a kid, more so than the others, but he'll never be able to experience what a normal kid or teen could, and I hate that."

"Yeah, it does royally suck." Rell agreed as we entered the foyer.

"Wait here. I'll tell the others that we're leaving." I said.

Rell nodded, and I went to the door of the living room. I looked in, to see that Azura, Midnight, Markus, and Alice were all in there, watching a movie.

"Hey, Rell and I are leaving." I announced. "We'll be back before dinner."

"Have fun." Azura replied.

"Don't die." Midnight said.

"Or do, it's your choice." Markus added.

I sighed.  _Well, what a fun response._ I retreated back into the foyer, to see that Sylva had joined Rell in there, Eve around his neck like always.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked the Umbreon-Espeon cross.

"Well, I was just thinking about Christmas." He replied. "And, honestly, you don't have to get me anything. I'll be fine without receiving any gifts."

I sighed, and said, "No."

"No?" Sylva asked. "What do you mean no?"

"I mean, that you'll get gifts whether you like it or not." I replied.

"Izaak, I don't want anything." He insisted. "I don't want you to take so much time thinking of something to get me. Just don't worry about it."

I sighed again, and said, "Listen, Sylv. I'm getting you something for Christmas. No matter what you say, it's happening. I'm getting something for you, and I'm giving it to you when I give the others their gifts. Got it?"

Sylva opened his mouth to argue, but Rell put a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Dude, just leave it. We all know how stubborn Izaak can be."

Sylva sighed, and said, "Fine. Just, please, don't spend too much time or money on me. I don't want you to."

He turned and started heading upstairs, and I yelled after him, "Well, now that you said that, I'm spending the most time and money on you out of everyone."

He just shook his head, before disappearing to his make shift room.

"So, we ready?" Rell asked me.

I nodded, and said, "Lead away. After all, I don't know where the fuck your bike is at."

"Good point." He replied, as we left the house, stepping out into the afternoon snow. As we started out into the woods, Rell asked, "So, what does everyone want?"

I began flipping through the lists, saying, "It appears to be standard teenager things, really. Y'know, laptops, game systems, a personal T.V." I let out a sigh when I saw Azura's and said, "Except for hers."

"Who's?" He asked me.

"Azura's." I replied. "She appears to not want me to spend a lot of money on her. The most expensive thing that she asked for is no more than twenty bucks."

Rell sighed, and said, "I'm not surprised. I mean, she really doesn't seem to want to trouble you with things."

"Yeah, I know." I replied. "But, it's a good thing that I already know what to get her."

"Really?" Rell inquired. "What?"

"That's a secret." I responded. "I may tell you when we head home, but don't count on it."

The Arcanine chuckled, and said, "Alright, I won't pry. Just wanted to make sure that you know what she'll like."

"Trust me, she'll love this." I said, a smile spreading across my face.

"Yeah, I guess that you or Midnight would be the best people to ask." He said.

"So, when are you and Alice getting together?" I asked nonchalantly.

"W-what?" Rell replied, shocked. "What are you talking about?"

I laughed, and said, "C'mon man, it's obvious that you two like each other. Hell, literally all of us in the house can see it."

He sighed, before stopping and leaning up against a tree.

"Is it really that obvious that I like her?" He asked. I nodded, and he said, "Well, I would love to get into a relationship with her, but I doubt that she'd want to date me. I mean, I'm me, and she hasn't really had the best of luck in the past with romance."

"C'mon man, why wouldn't she want you?" I said. "I mean, you've cared for her, you've helped her adjust to living pretty normally again, you always try to protect her."

"Well, even if that was true, her past still exists." He pointed out.

"Yeah, and her history with romance won't get any better if you don't take an initiative." I countered.

He just sighed, and said, "I don't know, man. I'll think about it. Now, c'mon, we need to keep going."

I nodded, and we started walking again. After a few more minutes of walking, we came up to a small shack.

"Well, here it is." Rell said. "Just inside of there."

"How have we never noticed this before?" I asked.

"I don't know." He answered, pulling a key from his pocket. He unlocked the door, saying, "Granted, if you did, you probably wouldn't pay much attention to it. I mean, it is just a random abandoned shed."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I agreed. "So, shall you present the bike?"

"I shall." He replied, stepping into the shed.

He returned a few seconds later, his bike in tow. I gawked at it in awe. The bike was in perfect condition, not even a layer of dust on it, despite its location.

"How the hell is it so clean?" I asked.

"I come out here and clean it every week." He replied. "Now, shall we go?"

I nodded, and he got on the bike. I got on behind him, before stuttering slightly.

"C'mon, hold on to something." He urged. "We need to get going."

"What do you want me to hold on to?" I asked.

"I don't know. My waist?" He replied. "That'll work."

I just shrugged, before wrapping my arms around his waist.

Vocalizing a sudden thought, I asked, "Wait, you can drive well in snowy conditions, right?"

"Don't know." He said, starting the bike. "Never tried."

Before I could protest, he took off through the trees, weaving through them expertly. We suddenly burst from the trees, hitting a dirt road. He did a quick turn to the left, before speeding down the road. As we flew to the town, which was not too far away at this point, I felt my face grow numb from the wind whipping my face. We pulled off of the road, slowing down, about half a mile from the city limits.

"Well, this is where we get off." Rell said, bringing the bike to a stop. "From here, we put on our disguises and head out on foot."

"Alright." I replied, as we got off of the bike.

We both put on our "disguises" before starting to walk. Yeah, all Rell's "disguise" was, was putting our hoods up, putting a bandana over our mouths, and tucking our tails into the back of our pants. Granted, that was fairly difficult to do with Rell, seeing as Arcanine tails are bushy as fuck. Yeah, it took both of us about five minutes to get his "disguise" on, with a majority of the time spent dealing with his tail.

"So, now we can go." Rell said, leading the way to the town.

"I hope that the town hasn't changed much." I commented, as we made our way through the trees.

"No, not really." Rell reassured me. "I mean, despite this place being pretty much a clone of Goldenrod, it really doesn't change."

"Yeah, I was hoping that it was that way." I replied. "So, does Town Square still exist?"

"Absolutely dude." Rell answered, chuckling. "You think a place like that would ever be taken out? It's get both the church and the city hall in it. They'd never harm that thing."

"Yeah, I didn't think that they would have." I replied. "I meant that I was curious as to whether or not that lightning rod of a monument had caused something to catch fire yet."

"Oh, that one of Klaus the Fourth on his Rapidash?" Rell asked me.

"Yeah, that one." I answered. "Didn't he, like, save the town from a family of Dragonite, or some shit."

Rell laughed, and said, "Yeah, something like that. I don't know. No matter how many times they tried to drill it into our heads in school, I don't fucking remember. Anyway, yeah, the giant waste of metal is still there."

I laughed, and said, "Arceus, the thing's horrid. That, and it's always funny to think that they guy who saved the town will probably end up getting it burnt to the ground during a storm at some point."

"The sad part is, you're probably right." Rell replied. As we reached the town, he asked, "So, you know where April lives, right?"

"Of course." I replied, before starting for the suburbs of the city.

We tried to stay on the outskirts of the city, only heading in deeper when required, and even then we kept to the alleys as much as possible. We eventually reached April's house, and I went up to the door and knocked. After a few seconds, Ash answered, before bursting out laughing.

"Holy shit." He said, between gasps. "That's your guys' fucking disguises? That's atrocious."

I glared back at Rell, saying, "I told you so."

"Shut up." The Arcanine countered. "It's never failed me before, so I doubt that it will now."

"That doesn't mean that it should work." Ash pointed out, beginning to laugh again.

I sighed, before saying, "Will you just tell April that we're here."

"Alright, fine." The Blaziken answered. He leaned away from the door, before yelling, "Hey, April! Izaak's here!"

"I'm coming!" She replied.

After a few seconds, April appeared at the door, with Dante at her heels.

"Hey April." I greeted. "Hey Dante."

The Umbreon nodded, and said, "Izaak. Rell."

"So, you here to pick up the cash?" April asked me.

"Yep." I replied. "I'd love to stay and chat, but we have a deadline."

"Of course." She said, nodding. "Dante, could you go to the living room and grab the small bag, please."

"Of course." The Umbreon replied, before walking away.

"Thanks for this again, by the way." I told April.

"Don't mention it." She said. "I mean, it is your money, as well. The only issue that I had was actually getting it. Apparently, if you withdraw more than a couple hundred at once, the people at the bank think that you're about to go and buy drugs."

"They do know that you're the police chief, right?" I asked. "So, y'know, you wouldn't be buying anything like that."

She chuckled, before saying, "Well, the police chief before me actually was buying drugs, except he was using money that had been donated to the force to pay for more gear. That's actually how I got promoted."

"You're the one who caught him?" I asked.

"Yep." She replied. "There was a little ceremony in thanks for me and everything."

I chuckled, and said, "So, I assume that you hated that, right?"

"Oh, hell yeah." She answered. "Arceus, I fucking hate attention, especially from the media."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be too crazy about it, either." I replied.

At this point, Dante returned, a small cloth bag in his mouth. He handed it to me, and I bent down to grab it.

"Thank you." I replied.

"No problem." He said, smiling up at me. "Need anything else? I could come and help carry things, if you want."

I chuckled, and said, "You're still trying to get me to allow you to mate with Eve, aren't you?"

"W-what?" He asked, seemingly insulted. "No. What kind of Umbreon do you think I am?" I smirked down at him, and he said, "Well, maybe a little."

I chuckled, and said, "Honestly, I'm fine with it as long as she is. But, you may have to take it up with Sylva. Those two have grown really close recently."

"What?" Dante asked, outraged. "They better not have done anything, or else I'll-"

I laughed before saying, "Calm down, kid. Sylva's not into Pokemon. Or, at least, I don't think so. Besides, he's an Umbreon that can shoot fire. How in the hell do you intend on taking him down?"

"F-fire?" Dante asked. "As in, like, Flamethrower?" I nodded, and he said, "Yep, never pissing him off."

"Don't worry, he doesn't like fighting much, anyway." I reassured the Umbreon. "He's only ever done it once, and he freaked out afterwards."

"Oh." Dante said. "Well, that's good, I guess."

"By the way," April began, "did you ever think of what to get him?"

I sighed, and said, "Unfortunately, no. I mean, he's just so hard to shop for. I know that it isn't his fault, and I know that he doesn't want me to him anything, but I honestly feel like, out of all of us, he deserves something more than anyone else. I mean, he spent all of his life that he can remember in a stasis tank or laboratory, and he can't remember the rest."

"Yeah, that is pretty sad." April agreed. "But, I have faith in you. I mean, you've always been good at gift ideas."

I sighed, and said, "Yeah, well, I think that he may have beaten me. Anyway, we better get going. Thanks for the cash."

"Once again, it's still yours." April replied. "See you guys next week."

I nodded, and Rell and I left. As we went down the street, I started thinking again.  _What could I give him?_ As I was lost in my thoughts, I blindly followed Rell's lead, as he took us to the shopping district. It took us about ten minutes to reach it, taking back alleys most of the way there. Looking up, I could see the giant bell tower of the church rising up above the skyline.

"C'mon, let's go." Rell said.

"On it." I replied.

* * *

I stepped into the jewelry store alone, having previously told Rell go ahead and take the rest of the gifts back to the bike.  _I still don't know how we'll get them back. Fuck, I'll probably carry them and walk._ I stepped over to the counter, and tapped on it to get the employee's attention. He turned around, before leaping back in shock.

"Please, take whatever you want, just don't hurt me." The shorter man begged.

"What?" I asked, confused. "Dude, I'm not here to rob you, I just want to buy a gift."

"Oh." The man said, calming down. "Really?" I nodded, and he said, "You really should think about a change of clothes before you go out Christmas shopping."

I shrugged, and said, "Meh, I like it."

"If you say so." He replied. "So, what are you interested in today?"

"A ring." I answered. "The most beautiful diamond that you have."

"Very well." He said, leading me over to a case. "If you follow me, I will show you some within a reasonable price range."

I rolled my eyes as he led me over to a glass case. Looking in, I saw that all of them were fine diamonds, absolutely, but none of them struck me as the right one. Suddenly, I saw the perfect one, two cases over.

"So, I believe that these will work perfectly for you." The man said, but I had stopped paying attention.

I went over to the case, just staring at the ring.  _It's perfect._ It was a silver band, made into a tightly woven double helix, with three diamonds on it. The left one was a small white diamond, and the right one a small black. Right in the center of the two, though, was a large beautiful blue diamond.  _This is it._

"I would like this one." I said, pointing at it.

The man came over to look at the one that I indicated, and he scoffed.

"I doubt that you could afford that." He said.

_Well, that's rude. So, why is this fucker still working here?_

"Oh?" I asked. "And what makes you think that?"

"Well, your getup, for one." He answered.

I chuckled, and asked, "How much?"

"I beg your pardon?" The man replied.

"How much?" I repeated. "How much for me to walk out of here with the ring in the next ten minutes?"

The man seemed to think for a second, before saying, "Ten thousand. But, I doubt that you could ever afford that."

I held up a finger, silencing him. I pulled the bag from under my hoodie, and opened it up.  _Thank Arceus I had her pull out so much. I honestly thought that I would have to spend much more on the right one._ I reached into the bag and pulled out a few bundles of cash. I handed them to the man, who stood there, awestruck.

"That's about twelve thousand." I said. "Don't worry, you can keep the change. Now, can I get the ring?"

The man looked down at the money, before looking back at me and saying, "Of course, sir. My apologies."

Within three minutes, I had the ring secured in a small box in my pocket, and I left the store, a smile on my face. As I was leaving, I noticed something else.  _That's perfect for Sylva._

* * *

I arrived back at Rell and the bike just as the sun began going down.

"There you are." He said, plucking the cigarette from his mouth, before tossing it on the ground and stomping it out. "I was wondering what the hell was keeping you. You got everything?"

"Yep." I replied. "Even Sylva's gift."

"Really?" He asked me. "What is it?"

"That's a secret." I replied. "As is what I just got for Azura."

"Is that so?" Rell asked. I nodded, and he said, "Well, suit yourself. C'mon, let's get going. I'm getting hungry."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, chapters! Yeah, don't even know anymore. So, anyway, yeah, this was a chapter. So, what do you guys think that Izaak is going to use the ring for? What could he have gotten Sylva? Who knows? Well, I do, but I don't count. Anyway, if you guys need me, I'm going to take a nap, before doing either A New School Means A New Start, Right? or I'm Free, but Now What? So, see-yah.


	13. These Guys are Going to Kill Me With Emotions One Day, I'm Sure of it

**These Guys are Going to Kill Me With Emotions One Day, I'm Sure of it**

"C'mon, Izaak," I heard a voice say, stirring me slightly from my slumber, "wake up."

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking at the intruding light. I looked to my right and was greeted by a beautiful blue face. I smiled, pulling the Glaceon into a kiss.

We broke apart, and I greeted, "Morning."

Azura chuckled, and replied, "Morning? It's almost time for dinner."

"Yeah, I know." I agreed, sitting up. "But it essentially is morning for me."

"Why?" She asked me. "Just because you were out doing shit all day doesn't mean that the time changed."

"That may be so," I countered, "but when you've been out practicing fun new shit involving powers, causing you to get really fucking worn out, it absolutely does."

Azura shrugged, and said, "If you say so. When will you actually tell us what you've been practicing, anyway?"

"When I've perfected it." I replied, swinging my legs off of the bed and grabbing one of my shirts. As I slipped it over my head, I continued, "Which will hopefully be soon. I've mastered all of it, except for the final moves. After that, I'll finally be able to teach it to Sylva, should he want to learn."

"Oh?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. "So, Sylva will be able to do these moves, as well?"

"With some training, yes." I confirmed, nodding. "Truthfully, I may be able to teach any other Dark types that I happen to meet, as well." I stood up, and added, "Granted, I do still need to finalize it and perfect all of the moves, but, as I said, that won't take too much longer."

"Alright then, have fun with your little secrecy." She said. "Now, c'mon, you said that you were going to have everyone open their gifts before dinner, and I'm about to start it."

"Alright." I replied, nodding shortly. "Wait downstairs, I'll bring everything down."

"Okay," Azura complied, walking to the door and grabbing the knob, "we'll be waiting in the living room."

With that, she left the room. I knelt down, facing our bed, and reached under it. I gripped the first pair of handles and pulled, revealing a black duffle bag. I stuck my arm under the bed five more times, each time pulling out another duffle bag, each identical to the last, the only difference being the name tag on the zipper. I sat the bags on the bed, before reaching over to my backpack. I opened up the smallest pocket and reached in, pulling out a small black box. I opened it, seeing that the ring was still inside.  _Good. I can't imagine how I would feel should it have disappeared. Or if she had seen it prematurely, for that matter._ I closed the box and pocketed it, before rising. I took three of the duffle bags in my left hand, before grabbing the other three in my right, holding them over my shoulder. I went over to the door, before reaching around my body with my tail and gripping the knob. I skillfully swung the door open, before exiting the room. I used my tail to shut the door behind me, and started for the stairs.  _I really can't thank Sylva enough for teaching me how to do that. It's fucking amazing. I hope that I can effectively teach him the moves that I've been working on as a thank you, as well._ I began descending the steps, already hearing chatter coming from the living room. I entered said room, to find that Azura, Rell, and Ashley on the couch, while the others occupied the floor. I dropped all of the bags onto the floor behind the couch, announcing my presence. All heads turned to me, as I faced them.

"So, you're finally awake." Rell commented. "Took you long enough."

I chuckled, and replied, "Yeah, sleeping all day isn't exactly my forte."

"One reason being that I won't allow it to be one." Azura added.

"To an extent." I countered. "I also find it to be immensely lazy, but that's beside the point."

"I find it to be pretty fun." Eve entered.

"My point exactly." I replied, indicating to the Flareon on Sylva's shoulders. She glared at me, hissing slightly, and I chuckled, playfully threatening, "Hey, don't make me get the squirt bottle."

She froze, and begged, "Please don't. I'm sorry."

"Calm down," I reassured, "I was joking."

She sighed, and said, "You ass."

"Y'know," Alice pointed out, "you should probably watch those squirt bottle jokes. I mean, you do have three fire types in the house."

"And an Umbreon that can shoot fire." Rell added. "To quote your statement to Dante."

"Hey, you never know," I said, "I may have gotten you two nothing but bottled water for Christmas."

As the two Fire types on the couch deadpanned, Markus interjected, "Speaking of which…"

I looked at him, and saw that he was staring up at me, eyebrows raised.

I chuckled, and answered his silent question, "Yes, you guys can open them. Just allow me to pass them out."

I bent down and grabbed a bag randomly. I checked the name, before handing it to the Espeon that was next to Markus.

"Here you go, Midnight." I said, holding the bag out to her. "You appear to be first."

She accepted the bag, nodding, and sat it down in front of her. I grabbed the next bag, checking the name. I passed it over to Markus, and a smile spread across his face. Markus and Midnight both looked at each other, before nodding and unzipping their bags. As they gazed down at the contents of their bags, their eyes lit up, and the smiles plastered to their faces grew even wider. Their faces went from the bags to me.

"You really did get it all." Midnight commented, awestruck.

"Of course." I replied. "I told you that I would, so I did." I watched both of them gaze around shiftily, before I sighed, and informed them, "Yes, you can go ahead and head to your room."

They both immediately shot up, bags in hand.

They both wrapped me in a one armed hug, simultaneously saying, "Thanks."

I froze, slightly shocked, before returning the hug.

"Yeah, no problem." I replied. They released me, and I nodded to them, before adding, "Merry Christmas."

They nodded back, before rushing out of the room. I smiled at the door as I heard their footsteps ascend the stairs.

I chuckled, before commenting, "They truly are like kids." I turned back to the others, before saying, "So, let's see who's next."

I bent down and grabbed a bag, confirming the recipient. I passed it over to the Arcanine, dropping onto his lap. He looked down at it, before looking up at me.

"Y'know, I still can't believe that you actually did this." Rell said.

"What, did you think that I wouldn't be generous?" I asked, mock hurt in my voice. "I am deeply insulted."

"Very funny, jackass." He replied. He rose, adding, "Well, I better go and deal with this stuff. Call me when dinner's done." As he left the room, he said over his shoulder, "Thanks, man."

"Merry Christmas, little bro." I answered, smiling.

He glared back at me, and I just stuck my tongue out. He sighed, before exiting the room. I laughed lightly, as I bent down, grabbing another pair of handles. I saw the name, before passing it over to Alice. She stared down at it, shocked, before looking up at me, the same expression on her face. She silently rose, holding the bag. She came over to me, before pulling me into a hug. As I wrapped my arms around her in return, I felt my shoulder grow slightly damp. When she pulled away, I saw that she had a few tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Izaak." She said. "This is one of the nicest things that anyone has ever done for me."

"It's no big deal." I reassured, ruffling the fur between her ears slightly.

"No, it is." She insisted. "Really. Even before I was a morph, I was never really given anything in the way of gifts." She sniffled slightly, wiping a few tears from her eyes, before continuing, "And they knew me for my whole life. You've only known us for a matter of a few months, yet you've shown more compassion for us than most of the people that we have ever known." She wrapped me in another hug, before adding, "Thank you so much."

I hugged her back, giving her a light kiss on the top of her head. I lightly stroked the back of her head, before we released each other.

"Go on," I urged her, "you can go upstairs and mess around. I'll call everyone when dinner's ready."

She nodded, before leaving the room. I sighed, as I bent down and reached for the next bag. I proceeded to check the recipient, before handing it to Azura.

She looked down at it, confused, and said, "Izaak, what's this?"

"Your presents." I replied simply.

"But I said that I didn't want anything expensive." She said.

"That may be so," I countered, "but I ignored those wishes. So, I got you what we both know you truly wanted. The same stuff that any teenager would want."

She shook her head, and replied, "You spoil us. You really do."

I chuckled, and said, "Don't worry, I got myself some stuff, as well. I'm just as spoiled as you."

Azura sighed, and rose, saying, "Well, I should probably go ahead and start dinner."

I nodded, and told her, "I'll be in there to help in a few minutes."

She nodded back, before grabbing her bag and leaving the room, leaving just myself, Sylva, and Eve in the living room.

Sylva sighed, before rising, saying, "Well, I guess that today was a good day for the guys. That's nice."

As he started for the door, I stopped him, asking, "So, where do you think that you're going?"

"To my room." He answered, indicating the door. "I mean, I can help you guys with dinner, if you want me to."

"No, you can go to your room." I told him. "But I don't quite understand why you would want to go without your bag of presents."

He stared at me, eyes and mouth wide, and asked, "You were actually able to get me gifts?"

"Of course." I replied, nodding. "I told you that I would, so I did." I bent down and grabbed the final bag, before handing it to him, saying, "Here you go." The pair stared down at it, surprised, so I added, "C'mon, open it."

He nodded, before slowly unzipping the bag. He pulled the material back some, revealing that it was filled with a multitude of different boxes, all board games. He looked up at me, a smile spreading across his face.

"Board games?" He asked.

I nodded, and answered, "Yep. I noticed a game store in town, so I got you some of these, as well as some other stuff, which is farther near the bottom."

Sylva sat the bag on the floor, before hugging me. As this occurred, I felt my shoulder once again grow slightly damp.

"Thanks." He said, squeezing me tighter. "This means a lot to me. Really."

"I was glad to do it." I answered, as we released. "Anything to make you guys happy."

He nodded back, wiping a few tears from his eyes.

"Well, I guess that we'll be upstairs." He said, picking the bag back up.

"Alright." I replied. "And, remember, any time that you want someone other than just Eve to play with you, just ask me. I'm always up for showing my amazing lack of skill at Clue."

"I'll be sure to remember that." He answered, nodding.

As the duo left the room, I called after them, "There's some gifts for Eve at the bottom, as well."

"Thanks." I heard the little Flareon reply.

As I heard footsteps ascend the stairs, a wide smile spread across my face. I felt my cheeks grow slightly damp, informing me that a few tears of my own had formed. I wiped my eyes, chuckling lightly.  _These guys are gonna kill me with emotions one day, I'm sure of it._ I reached into my pocket, feeling the last gift of the night.  _The crème de la crème, if you will. The gift that will help forge my future, as well as Azura's._ I chuckled at my own dramatics, before leaving and heading for the kitchen, withdrawing my empty hand from my pocket. I entered the kitchen, to see that Azura was already hard at work making dinner. I sniffed the air, immediately recognizing the scent of garlic and onions.

"Smells amazing." I complimented, alerting the Glaceon to my presence.

She turned around, slightly startled, but replied, "Thanks."

As I looked at her face, I saw that there were a few visible tear tracks in her face.

"You've been crying." I observed, stepping over to her. I wiped the tracks away, asking, "Is something wrong?"

She sniffled slightly, shaking her head, and replied, "No, everything perfect really." She sighed, leaning up against the counter, before continuing, "I just think that it's amazing that you made everyone so happy. Especially my sister."

I smiled, wrapping her in my arms, and kissed her on her head.

"Well, I haven't distributed all of the gifts yet." I pointed out.

"Huh?" She asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Turn around." I replied, releasing her.

She looked at me, confused, but complied anyway. I reached into my pocket, pulling out the small black box. I backed up a small distance away from her. I inhaled deeply, anxiety coursing through me.  _Well, here goes nothing._ I crouched down, getting on one knee. I opened the box, revealing the ring.

"Okay." I told her.

As she turned around, I felt my breath catch in my throat. Her gaze was fixed at where my face would be, should I be standing, before slowly dropping down to my current position. As she saw me, she let out an audible gasp.

After a few seconds, she asked, "I-Izaak, is this what I think it is?"

I just nodded, a small hopeful smile on my face. Her eyes grew wide at my answer.

"So, will you?" I asked.

After a few moments of shocked hesitation, in which a hint of worry crept into my mind, she slowly nodded, replying, "Of course, Izaak."

I shot up from my position, wrapping her in the deepest hug of our relationship.

"Thank you so much." I said, holding her tightly. "You've officially made me the happiest and luckiest person that has ever lived or will ever live."

She chuckled, as she sank into the hug.

"And you have done the same for me." She replied, as I kissed her deeply.

We finally pulled apart after a minute or two, giant smiles plastered to both of our faces.

Azura was the first to speak, asking, "So, should we tell the others about our new relationship status?"

"Not quite yet." I replied. "Let's wait until Christmas, that way we'll have everyone together at one time."

"Of course." She agreed, nodding. "So, any ideas about the actual event yet? I know how much you like to plan things before actually acting."

I chuckled, responding, "No, not yet. The way I see it, this will be a giant step, and an even larger event, for both of us; so I figured that we should plan it together."

"Well, I can't wait." She said, kissing me on the cheek. "I'm sure that we can make it grand."

"I strive to impress." I replied, returning the affectionate peck. "Speaking of which, how about we see how the ring looks on your finger?"

She nodded, so I took the small piece of jewelry from the box. She held out her left hand, and I slipped the ring on her ring finger.

She gazed at it, complimenting, "It's really beautiful."

"Well, I wanted the ring to match the owner." I replied, nodding.

She smiled at me, before saying, "I get the feeling that the diamonds symbolize something."

I chuckled, and said, "Yeah, sort of. I thought that it just seemed fitting."

She wrapped me in another hug, kissing my cheek.

"Why do I have a feeling that you spent far too much money on this?" She asked.

"No amount of money is too much for the love of my life, and the women that I will eventually start a family with." I countered.

"If you say so." She replied, pulling back. "So, should I take it off, as not to arouse suspicion?"

"Yeah, it'd probably be best." I agreed, as she stuck out her hand. I removed the ring, adding, "But you can where it again soon. Just as soon as it hits the twenty fifth."

"Speaking of which," Azura began, as I replaced the ring, "you'll finally get to meet Rell's family."

"Oh, I am waiting with bated breath." I replied. "That also means that we'll get to inform them of April's relative status with me."

"Indeed, we will." She agreed. "Now, how about we finish cooking dinner?"

"Of course." I said, nodding.

At that moment, I heard footsteps coming, so I hastily pocketed the small box. Our eyes shot to the door, just as Midnight entered.

"Hey." She greeted. "I just came down to grab some Monster for Markus and I. He's unusually tired." She seemed to notice the broad smiles that were still on our faces, as she pointed out, "You two seem rather happy. Any reason why?"

"Oh, y'know," I replied offhandedly, "we just love seeing you guys happy."

"Yep." Azura agreed, resting her head on my shoulder. "Tis the season."

"Um, okay." Midnight replied, staring at us oddly. She went over to the fridge and opened it, pulled out two black cans, and said, "Well, I guess that I'll be out of your hair. Have fun cooking."

"We will." I told the Espeon, nodding.

She took one last confused glance at us, before leaving the room. As her footsteps were heard going up the stairs, Azura and I looked at each other, before bursting out in laughter.

"Oh, this will be fun." The Glaceon said.

"Yep." I agree


	14. I Look Better in Slow Motion

** I Look Better in Slow Motion **

"Arceus fucking damn it." I heard a voice hiss, piercing through my sleep for the twentieth time in the past ten minutes.

I groaned, finally opening my eyes.  _What the hell is she doing that is causing her to get this pissed?_ I sat up, looking at the newly placed television, my question being answered immediately.  _Oh. That._ Azura was currently sitting next to me, halfway off of the bed, an Xbox controller in her hands. She had a pair of earbuds in, and I could clearly hear  _All Nightmare Long_ by Metallica playing. On the screen of the T.V. stood a suit of fairly light armour, a halberd in its hand. As her opponent, a rather large bone dragon, its flesh completely gone, revealing a large empty space behind its ribcage. I watched as the suit of armour pulled up its shield, only to be assaulted by a repeated smash from the dragon's tail, resulting in the large, red text of "You Died" on screen, causing the Glaceon to lean her head back, sighing deeply. I released my own sigh of annoyance, swinging my legs off of the bed, announcing the fact that I was awake.

Azura took her earbuds out, asking, "Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"About ten minutes ago." I replied.

"Oh." She said, looking down slightly. "Sorry."

"It's fine." I reassured her, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "It's not like sleeping the full seven hours is a thing that I normally do."

"Still, you only slept from midnight to five." She pointed out.

I shrugged, and countered, "Yes, but I know that you haven't slept at all."

She sighed, and asked, "How are you so good at knowing this stuff?"

"Intuition." I replied. "Anyway, you really should go to sleep."

"I would, but I really want to beat this asshole first." She complained.

"How about this," I offered, "if I can beat him on my first try, then you stop playing and go to sleep?"

She smirked at me, and mocked, "Seriously? You think that you can beat him on your first try?"

"I don't see why not." I replied, holding my hand out.

She just shrugged, handing me the controller. I opened up her set up, checking her gear and stats.

"Well, this would help explain your issues." I told her. "You were trying to block, when your armour weight and stats give you nowhere near as much poise as you would need. You honestly should have been dodging."

She just rolled her eyes at me as I started off in the fight. Five minutes later, I had won, adding an incredibly heavy, yet equally powerful, axe to her inventory.

"Here you go."I said, as I handed the controller back to her, smiling at her awestruck face.

"H-How did you do that?" She asked me.

"It was easy, really." I replied, shrugging.

"And the stuff with the tail?" She asked. "How did you know that that would work?"

"I've put way too many hours into this game, kid." I said. "Now, go to sleep. You shouldn't be tired for Christmas today, especially with our announcement coming up."

"Yeah, I guess that you're right." She agreed. She moved over and laid down, saying, "That, and I'm really fucking tired."

I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, before saying, "I'll wake you up for breakfast."

"Thanks, Izaak." She replied, laying her head down on the pillow.

I nodded, before getting up and leaving the room. I went down the hall, before descending the stairs. Upon hitting the ground floor, I heard voices coming from the dining room. I entered it, to see that Sylva and Eve were on opposite sides of the table, a fair amount of cards between them, and a coffee cup next to Sylva.

"Seriously?" Eve exclaimed, sighing angrily. "How the hell do you keep slaughtering me?"

The Hybrid just chuckled, replying, "Luck, I guess."

The Flareon rolled her eyes, accusing, "Are you looking at my cards or something?"

"Of course not." He said, mock insult in his voice.

"Like that would even matter." I put in, making my presence known. "Seriously, seeing each other's decks really wouldn't change Magic much. I mean, you could plan ahead some, but it's not like it allows you to change your hand."

"Wait, you play?" Sylva asked me, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice.

I chuckled, and replied, "Of course. Hell, who do you think taught this little kid how to play?"

As I went to stand behind Eve, she added, "Yeah, why do you think that I suck?"

I messed with the little Flareon's fur, causing her to squeak in protest, as I said, "Yeah, I'm not the best player in the world. I've beaten a few people before, mostly just my family, but I do, in fact, suck."

"C'mon, you can't be that bad." Sylva insisted.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." I told him. "But I will play you, if you want me to."

"Please?" He asked.

"Sure." I replied, causing a smile to spread across his face. "Can you pick my deck while I go and grab some coffee?"

"What kind do you normally play?" He asked, pulling his box out from under the table.

"Mostly Dark, with some Fire or Light mixed in." I replied.

He nodded to me, before opening the box and starting to dig through it. I turned and entered the kitchen, heading for the counter. I quickly got my coffee, and returned to the dining room. I sat down across from Sylva, with Eve climbing into my lap.

"Almost done." Sylva said, flipping through the cards.

"It's fine, I can wait." I reassured him. I began to pet Eve, asking the Flareon, "So, are you still having those nightmares?"

She sighed, before answering, "Some, yeah. They appear to be lessening, in both frequency and length, though."

"Well, that's good." I told her. "Do you know what actually caused them to come back?"

"Yeah, Sylv and I think that we came up with a fairly reasonable explanation." She replied. "See, they started back up while I was living alone in the old house. So, we're pretty sure that I'm just much calmer when sleeping with someone that I find very nice and protective."

"So, naturally, you chose myself and the amazing fire breathing UmbrEspeon over there." I added.

Sylva sighed, pausing in his actions, and asked, "You're never going to stop with that name, are you?"

I took a sip of my coffee, and replied, "No, no I'm not." He sighed again, and I said, "You just internally rolled your eyes, didn't you?"

"To keep it simple, my eyes would roll almost constantly around you, dude." He told me.

I smiled, and said, "I try my best."

He slid my deck over to me, and I grabbed it. I began checking out the cards that he set me up with, recognizing a fair amount of them. I sat the deck on the table, taking another sip of my coffee.

"So, standard twenty life game?" I asked.

"Of course." He replied. "But, I was thinking that it could be a little more interesting."

"Oh?" I inquired. "How so?"

"Well, if you win, then I'll help Rell cook all of the meals today." He offered.

"And if you win?" I asked.

"Then you have to teach me what you've been practicing." He told me.

I shrugged, and agreed, "Sure. I shall now begin thinking about how to teach this properly."

He chuckled, as he drew his cards. Fifteen minutes and thirty life points later, I had been defeated.

"Told you that I was bad." I said, drinking my coffee.

"Oh, c'mon," he encouraged me, "you managed to drop me halfway."

"Only because you let me." I pointed out, petting Eve, who was now sitting on my shoulders. "You could have massacred me four turns earlier, but you let me take out your cards."

He looked away sheepishly, and replied, "I was hoping that you wouldn't have noticed that."

I shrugged, and reassured him, "Don't worry, I really don't give a fuck." I stood up, grabbing my coffee, and said, "Well, let's go. You and I have a date with explosion based running."

"What?" He asked me, confused, as he stood up.

"Just follow me." I instructed.

We left the house, heading out through the surprisingly snowless woods.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Eve asked me.

"To a secluded, open area." I told her. "After all, we don't want to damage too many things."

"Should we get some paramedics out here, or…?" Sylva suggested.

"Of course not." I reassured him. "It's not that difficult, but it can be damaging to trees and buildings."

We continued through the trees, until we eventually reached the clearing that I had been going to almost daily for the past few weeks. It was obvious that something had been happening here, due to the fair amount of small craters in the ground, as well as a few downed trees. Granted, I had since become more proficient with controlling my Pulse Moves, so I no longer broke things.  _But, Sylva will most likely make more holes, so that's going to be interesting._

"Alright, stand back while I demonstrate." I instructed.

Eve leapt off of my shoulder, making it onto Sylva's shoulder, as I started for the center of the clearing.

"So, what are you going to show us?" Sylva asked.

"Science, bitch." I responded, simply.

I concentrated on my powers, beginning to form Dark Pulses on my hands and feet.  _Alright, let's try it out._ I took off running to the other side of the clearing, aiming for a tree. A few feet before I would have hit the tree, I detonated one of the Pulses, launching me into the air slightly. I heard a few gasps from the edge of the clearing, and I looked over to see that the others had apparently followed us, as everyone in the house was now standing with Sylva.  _When the hell did they get here?_ I quickly refocused on my destination, flipping in midair, reforming the used Dark Pulse. My feet hit the tree trunk about halfway up, and I detonated the Pulses again, sending me flying higher into the air. I once again reformed the Pulses, before landing on the ground on my hands, detonating the Pulses, launching me into the air. I landed a few feet away, sliding into a handstand, before beginning to do some Pulse cartwheels, focusing on reforming my Pulses after each hit. I did this for a few more minutes, before coming to a panting stop. I looked over at the small crowd, seeing that they all had their phones out, recording me.

"Enjoy the show?" I asked, walking over to them.

"Absolutely!" Markus exclaimed.

"How did you even manage to do that?" Alice asked me.

"The internet." I replied.

"Seriously?" She said. "You found instructions on how to do that?"

"Not necessarily instructions, more just a demonstration." I told her. "Did you really think that I came up with that myself?" She shrugged, and I replied, "Hell no! I'm too fucking stupid to think of doing that."

"He's right." Eve agreed. "After all, he did accept a Magic challenge from Sylva."

"I also fought a Houndoom with a stick." I pointed out.

"Y'know, you still haven't told the two of us that story." Sylva told me.

"Later." I replied. "So, you want to try it out?"

"Maybe later." He answered. "I'd prefer to not do something that could hurt me only a few hours before we're going to have guests."

I shrugged, and agreed, "I guess that I can see that. So, back home?"

"Let's go!" Eve yelled, leaping into the air slightly.

We all started back to the house, Azura falling back to walk with me, her head resting on my shoulder, and my arm around her.

"That was honestly pretty cool." She complimented me. "Remind me to show it off to April at dinner tonight."

"Sure, but after our little announcement." I whispered into her ear.

"Of course." She told me, kissing me on the cheek.

"So, what exactly did I look like while doing that?" I asked.

"Here." She told me, pulling her phone out.

She handed it to me, and I unlocked it, before pulling up the video. As we continued behind the others, Azura and I watched my performance. When it was finished, I handed her phone back to her.

"So, what do you think?" She asked me.

"Nice job with the filming." I complimented her. "Granted, slo-mo would have been cool as hell. After all, I look better in slow motion."

She laughed, and joked, "Okay then. Next time, I'll make sure to find a Phantom for you."

"Thank you." I replied. As we reached the house, I said, "Y'know, we still have yet to cook."

"We'll handle that." Midnight said back to me. "You guys still need to shower."

"Thanks." Azura and I told them, as we entered the house.

The two of us started upstairs, as the others went into the dining room.

"Do we even have time for both of us to shower?" Azura asked me.

"Well, we do if we shower together." I pointed out.

She smiled, and replied, "I'll get the clothes; you go ahead and start the shower."

I nodded, and entered the bathroom, as Azura went to our bedroom. I locked the door behind me, before turning on the shower. I began stripping down, to where I was in just my jeans. At this point I heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" I asked, pressing my ear to the door.

"It's me." I heard Azura's voice reply.

I opened the door slightly, hiding behind it. The Glaceon entered the bathroom, a bundle of clothes in her arms. I closed the behind her, locking it, as a thought came to my mind. As she sat the clothes down, I went up behind her, wrapping my arms around her. She froze slightly, and I bent my head down, nibbling on her neck slightly.

She gasped, and exclaimed, "Izaak! What are you doing?"

"Having a little fun." I purred to her. "After all, it's been a while."

"We can't!" She hissed out. "We have to get ready!"

"And?" I replied. "Who says that we can't have a little fun in the shower?"

"But the others use the shower." She insisted.

"It'll clean up easily." I told her, reaching down and gripping the bottom of her shirt.

Before she could protest any further, I pulled the shirt up. I moved my hands onto her breasts, squeezing the beautiful orbs slightly, eliciting a gasp from the now aroused Glaceon. As she melted into my arms, I pinched her hard nipples, causing a moan to escape her lips.

"Beginning to see my reasoning?" I asked.

"Absolutely." She moaned, leaning her head up and locking her lips with mine.

We broke apart just long enough for me to get her shirt off of her, before our lips created the cage for our tongues to begin fighting in. She was letting out continuous moans as I kept massaging and adoring her breasts, the amazingly round orbs resting in my palms perfectly, her flesh spilling out between my fingers. I released her breasts, reaching down to her jeans. I unbuttoned them, but she knocked my hands out of the way before I could bring them down. We broke apart, and I looked at her questioningly.

"I'm going to put on a little show for you." She whispered to me, her voice heavy with lust.

I back up, as she gripped the waist of her pants. She began pulling her covering down, swaying her hips teasingly as her body was slowly uncovered. I felt my erection rising as her gorgeous hips and moist slit were uncovered. When she finished, she threw her jeans into the hamper, before coming over to me, her hips swaying enticingly. She reached down, cupping my growing bulge in one hand, while reaching for my own zipper at the same time. I began running my hand through her fur, stroking her ears, as she began removing my own clothes, keeping me in a permanent state of minute pleasure by putting a constant pressure on my groin the entire time. When my pants were removed and disposed of, she took me by the hand, constantly stroking my length slowly. She led me into the shower, where we were immediately soaked. She reached for the bottle of shampoo on the small shelf, picking it up. She held up a finger to me, telling me to wait, and I nodded in reply. She returned her hand to my rod, continuing to slowly pleasure me, as she opened the bottle of shampoo. She managed to squirt a fair amount into her hand, before closing the bottle.

I looked at her questioningly, and she simply said, "We've gotta have some form of lube, don't we?"

She rubbed her hands together, smearing the substance on both of her palms, before holding my length in her hands. She began slowly stroking me, causing me to hiss slightly at the feeling of the cold liquid being spread over me. When she was done, she gripped my shoulders, kissing me deeply. We broke apart, a string of saliva connecting us, as we stared into each other's eyes.

"Ready?" I asked.

"How about we start with something slightly different?" She offered.

I watched her, confused, as she turned around, pressing her chest against the wall of the shower. She reached behind her, spreading her rear cheeks slightly. I looked at her questioningly, and she responded with a flirtatious nod. I stepped up behind her, taking her amazingly firm cheeks in my hands. I lined myself up with her rear entrance, resting my length in between her cheeks.

"You know that this will hurt some, right?" I asked her.

"Of course." She replied. "But I'm more than ready for it. Just go whenever."

 _Whenever, huh?_ As the thought came through my mind, a smirk spread across my face. I moved my body, instead resting my length at her wet entrance.

She looked back at me, and I just said, "You said that I can go whenever."

She glared at me in response, but her glare quickly dissolved as I began moving my tip across her slit at a teasingly slow pace. I reached up to her chest, beginning to play with her breasts, once again. As I pinched her small pink nubs, her moans grew even louder, causing me to wonder if someone outside of the bathroom could hear us. As the seconds of teasing dragged into minutes, I dipped my tip into her slit slightly, causing her moans to increase in volume.

"Oh, will you just go on, already?" She scolded me.

"How about you beg for it?" I whispered into her ear.

She looked back at me, shocked, but I just punctuated my sentence by stopping my movement entirely. Realizing that I was serious, her eyes dropped.

"D-Do I have to?" She asked me.

"Do you truly want it" I replied.

She sighed, before saying, "Please, Izaak."

"Please what?" I asked.

"Please just fuck me." She whimpered out, her bottom lip quivering slightly.

I smirked at her, before moving my hands back up to her breasts, and moving my hips back to where I was positioned perfectly at her rear entrance. I slowly began entering her, massaging and groping her breasts with my hands. As I pushed in, her cold tightness surrounding my length, she began moaning madly. I continued playing with her breasts, tweaking her nipples constantly, trying to keep her from noticing any pain. After a few seconds, I was fully hilted in her, and she was a moaning wreck.

"Alright, I'm in." I told her. "I'm going to start moving now, okay?"

She just nodded in response. I began thrusting in and out of her entrance, both of us moaning in the intense pleasure. She continued pressing up against me, and I was meeting her, pushing her against the wall. After some amount of time of slow movement, I sped up, simultaneously reaching down with one of my hands to her dripping slit. As my hips became a blur, I dug my hand into her cold depths, causing her to gasp in a mixture of pleasure and shock. As she was simultaneously being penetrated from behind, and played with at two areas on her front, I felt her legs go limp, causing me to have to hold her up. I chuckled, as I felt her tunnel tighten around my fingers. I could tell that she knew how close she was, as well, as I felt her attempt to tighten her anal passage, adding to my pleasure. As I felt my hands get covered in her juices, her moans skyrocketed. At the same time, I felt my own release build up in my loins, before launching into her anal passage, coating it in my seed. It took a few minutes for our respective orgasms to stop, both of us in continual moaning fest the whole time. When we finally stopped, I pulled my still-hard member from her slightly leaking hole, and she collapsed into my arms. I chuckled, as I caught her limp form with ease.

"Do you think that you have it in you to finish up?" I asked.

She shakily put her feet on the floor, replying, "Y-Yeah, I'm good. We can continue."

"Are you sure?" I asked, slightly concerned. "I mean, you sort of lost it there."

"I'm fine, trust me." She told me, turning around. "Well, you may have to hold me up some, but I doubt that someone as strong as you will have any trouble doing so."

We both smirked at each other, as I pushed her up against the wall again. I lined myself up with her, my tip just parting her lower lips.

"Ready?" I asked.

She nodded, and I started in, this time taking a different approach. A rather… swift one. I was hilted in her in less than a second, both of us gasping at the sudden rush of pleasure. After a few seconds of adjusting, I slowly began thrusting in and out again, and our moans quickly started up. As the seconds went on, I began speeding up, trying to hit a certain part of her.  _C'mon, I found it last time._ I eventually hit it, signaled by her sudden extremely loud outburst of moans, as the Glaceon collapsed into my arms once again. I chuckled lightly, as I held her up, beginning to properly abuse her spot. I continued holding the beautiful moaning wreck that is my fiancé, as she buried her face in my shoulder, muffling her moans slightly. Due to her sudden movement, I began losing my grip, so I slid my hands to where I was holding her up by her legs, my hands under her thighs. This new position allowed me to thrust into her faster and harder, as I was now pulling her onto me with each rough thrust. As I felt both of us creep ever closer to our inevitable release, I quickly used one of my hands to bring Azura's face to mine, shortly before locking lips and wrapping my tongue around hers. After another minute or so, I felt her entire body tense up, and walls tighten around me, tighter than they had ever been before, and her ice cold juices began coating my length and my lower half. The amazing feeling quickly caused me to reach my own release. My body tightened and stiffened up, as I hit the most pleasurable orgasm of my life, beginning to paint the inside of her womb white with my seed. When we finally fully came down from our endorphin induced high it felt like at least five minutes had passed, and Azura collapsed into my arms again, both of us panting heavily. We eventually caught our breath again, and we looked at each other. We wasted no time in locking lips once again, our tongues beginning to wrestle. We stayed like this for multiple minutes, before breaking apart, once again hungry for air.

"So," I eventually said, between pants, "how was it?"

"Fucking amazing." She replied, chuckling. "Can you let me go now? I think that I can stand."

I released her, allowing her feet to land on the wet floor of the shower. She stumbled slightly at first, so I reached out and caught her.

"No, I'm fine." She reassured me, coming out of my arms. "Just slipped."

I nodded at her, as she regained her footing.

"Maybe we shouldn't have done that." I told her. "After all, you seem a little bit wrecked by it."

"I'll be good by the time we finish showering." She insisted. "Just a little nerve shocked, I guess would work."

"Why?" I asked her.

"Because you were so fucking amazing." She complimented, hugging me, pushing her wet breasts up against my chest. "Not that you were bad last time, but you were so much better this time."

"So, what you're saying is that we need to do this standing up more?" I asked.

She chuckled, and replied, "Actually, we should just do this more in general. I don't think that I could ever get tired of having your arms wrapped around me, and your dick buried in me."

"Yes, well very few feelings beat your amazingly tight and cold inner passage." I returned. "And, of course, feeling your perfect breasts in my hands."

"Well, how about we stop complimenting each other, and actually bathe?" Azura suggested.

"Can't we do both?" I countered. "You know how much I love complimenting you."

She chuckled, and said, "I guess doing both won't hurt."

* * *

P.O.V Change: Sylva

I smirked as I saw the shapes of Izaak and Azura talking to each other, intentionally keeping the full extent of my powers away, to the point to where their shapes were truly no more than featureless blobs, wanting to keep their private actions their private actions.  _Granted, it's not like I meant to see the beginning of it. And Izaak couldn't possibly know about it. Then again, he has always had an odd way of knowing when I'm spying. I should probably cut the connection._ I lowered my power sight strength, causing the two forms upstairs to disappear, leaving the shapes of the other four only, all of whom I could see sitting across the foyer, in the dining room.

I heard a small yawn from the small Flareon that was halfway on my shoulders and halfway on the back of the couch, as she asked, "What's so funny?"

I just chuckled, replying, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking of how… intimate Izaak and Azura's relationship is."

"What are you…" She started, before trailing off, seeming to understand what I meant. "Oh. They were just doing, y'know, that?"

"Yeah." I answered, nodding slightly.

Eve smacked me on the back of my head, sending a short spark of pain through me.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"Stop peeping." She scolded me. "It's a violation of their privacy."

"I didn't mean to." I complained. "And, besides, I barely saw anything. They were both still mostly covered when I accidently saw them, and I quickly tuned it out."

"Still." She said. "You shouldn't do that again. And if I found out that we have a repeat offence on our hands, then I will tell Izaak."

"No need." I heard a voice say behind me, causing both of us to freeze.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak

Both heads shot around, staring at me, Eve's eyes wide.

"Fuck." Sylva said.

"So, what exactly was that about peeping on us?" Azura asked, leaning up against the door frame next to me.

"Um, nothing, don't worry." Eve quickly said.

I chuckled, and entered the room, Azura following me, as I said, "It's alright. I know it was an accident."

We sat down on the couch next to Sylva, with me in the middle, Azura's head on my shoulder.

I wrapped my arm around her, and said, "And, besides, I don't blame you. I mean, you're still fairly young, and I imagine that you're curious."

"You do realize that I'm only slightly younger than you, right?" He pointed out.

"I mean mentally." I explained. He deadpanned, and I added, "C'mon, you know that I'm right."

He sighed, and agreed, "Yeah, in some cases, I guess that that is true. And, y'know, I guess that I am slightly curious about stuff like that."

"Thought so." Azura said.

"Well, you shouldn't be ashamed of this." I told him. "We all get curious."

"Izaak, if you're thinking of giving me this conversation, then I will go ahead and torch you right now." He warned me.

I chuckled, replying, "Don't worry, I didn't intend on it. I was just saying. But, remember, if you ever have any questions, I'm here."

Sylva sighed, and joked, "Thanks dad. I'll be sure to come to you if I need any advice about how to make my prom date happy."

"Oh, shut up." I told him, as the other three burst out laughing.

Suddenly, Sylva froze, his ears twitching.

"What's up?" I asked.

His ears twitched again, and he replied, "Listen."

We all got quiet, and I focused on my own listening, my own ears twitching rapidly. After a few seconds, I began to hear something.  _Cars._ We all nodded to each other, before getting up. I leapt over to couch, landing silently, before leaving the room. We all went to the door. I opened it slightly, looking out the door. Coming up the dirt road was a black Cadillac, a small cloud of freshly fallen, and still falling, snow following it.

"Rell, black car!" I yelled out.

I turned around to see the Arcanine's head poke out of the dining room. He rushed over to us, as the others poked their heads out of the doorway.

He looked out of the door, as well, and said, "Yep. There's my dad and my sister."

He opened the door wider, stepping out onto the snow covered yard. We all started out the door, but I held back upon seeing Sylva's reluctance.

When we were the only ones left in the room, I asked him, "Hey, are you going to be okay today? I mean, you'll be around my family, whom you aren't exactly accustomed to, and you'll be meeting Rell's, and neither of us have met them."

He shrugged, and replied, "I should be fine. At least, I'll try." He sighed, and said, "Sometimes, my antisocial personality really annoys me."

I wrapped him in a one arm hug, and said, "But, you make it work." I released him, and he stared at the floor, smiling slightly, so I added, "C'mon, let's go and say hello. Maybe frighten them a little."

He chuckled, and agreed, "Yep, let's go see how the introduction goes."

We both stepped out onto the yard, just as the car pulled up. As the doors opened, Sylva shifted behind me slightly, hiding himself some. I turned slightly, patting him on the shoulder encouragingly. He nodded at me, and we faced forward. From the car came to people. From the driver's side came a man who appeared to be in his forties or fifties, although the amount grey in his hair could easily betray one's opinion to believe him to be in his sixties or seventies. He was dressed in some form of a casual suit, his only accessory being a dark cane, appearing to be made from a spruce tree, stylized to look like a column of water, with two Gyarados spiraling up it. From the passenger door came a teen girl, Rell's sister. She was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a purple tank top, with a black jacket over it, and a black beanie, with her black hair flowing from underneath it, the blonde highlights sticking out visually.

"Have you ever noticed that everyone we meet always dresses like us?" Sylva whispered into my ear.

I just shrugged, and replied, "Well, it's not like we can help it. The author just really likes black."

"Meh, I don't blame him." He said. "It looks nice and is very slimming."

"You aren't wrong there." I agreed.

We watched as Rell went over to his father and sister, and the three of them shared a hug. After a few seconds, they broke apart, beginning to head towards the rest of us. I moved up to the others, and Sylva followed, despite his obvious reluctance. We stood next Azura, and I wrapped my arm around her, causing her to tilt her head slightly, to where the tips of our ear were touching.

"Afternoon, Kano." Markus greeted Rell's father, as he reached us.

Kano scoffed, before replying, "It's barely one!"

Markus just shrugged, and pointed out, "That is still after noon."

"Hardly." Kano said.

He then noticed myself and Sylva, and he came over to us.

"Now, who are you?" He asked me.

"I would be Izaak, sir." I replied. "Y'know, Azura's boyfriend."

"Right." He said. "I remember that Rell said that you looked interesting, and he was not wrong."

I chuckled, and replied, "C'mon. I'm not that interesting."

"Dude, you look like that, and you just used explosives to launch yourself off of shit." Midnight countered, laughing. "The only thing that would make you more interesting is if you had wings, or something."

"Yeah, I guess that that would be interesting." I agreed.

Kano turned to Sylva, and said, "So, you're Sylva? What're you doing hiding?"

The Umbreon behind me tried to answer, instead just squeaking slightly.

"He's really shy." I said, quickly. "He'll warm up to you, don't worry."

Kano nodded, and said, "It's fine. After all, people are people."

I nodded in response, and I felt Sylva grip my arm tightly.

"So, you guys wanna head inside?" Rell asked.

"Sure." Kano replied.

The yard quickly emptied, until only Sylva and I remained. Or so I originally thought. I was about to head inside, Sylva still stuck to me, when I heard a throat being cleared. We turned around, to see that Rell's sister was standing there, her hands clasped behind her back patiently.

"Oh." I greeted her. "Hello."

"Hey." She returned, coming over to us.

As she neared, I felt Sylva clasp my arm once again.

"Don't you want to go inside with the others?" I asked her.

"Well, I wanted to meet you two." She replied. "I felt as if this was too short of an introduction, and you guys seem interesting."

I shrugged, and said, "If you say so."

She stuck her hand out, and introduced, "I'm Abigail. Nice to meet you."

I shook her hand, returning, "Izaak. Nice to meet you, too." We released each other's hands, and I pointed to Sylva, and said, "This is Sylva."

She moved her hand over to Sylva, and said, "Nice to meet you." My companion just froze, staring at her hand, so she added, "Just shake my hand. Just ask Rell, I'm stubborn when it comes to getting something that I want."

Sylva physically stuttered for a second, before slowly reaching out and grabbing her hand.

They shook hands, and Sylva mumbled, "Yeah, you too."

As their arms fell to their sides, Abigail smiled, before going past us. As she ascended the steps, I looked at Sylva, to see a blush forming under his black fur.  _Really? He likes her? I didn't know if he could ever like someone romantically._ My thoughts were cut short, as I heard a car engine coming up the road. I felt Sylva jump next to me, as the three of us spun around. I saw a black car coming up the road, kicking up snow. I heard the door behind us burst open, followed by foot falls muffled by the snow.

"Who could that be?" Kano asked, as a smile crept onto my face.

"Family." I replied.

Kano and Abigail looked at me, perplexed, as the car pulled into the yard. The doors opened, and Ash stepped out of the passenger door, while April exited the driver's side, with Dante sitting upright on her shoulder.

"Officer Mara?" Abigail asked, shocked.

"Hello." April greeted, coming over to us.

"Not that It's not nice to see you," Kano began, as she reached us, "but what are you doing out here? Has there been some trouble?"

"Well, no." April replied. "I was actually invited out for Christmas."

"Really?" Kano asked, shocked. "By who?"

"By me." I said, going over and hugging April. She returned the embrace, before we broke apart, and I explained, "April here is my sister."

"Your sister?" Kano asked. "You mean that you're-"

"Yep." I replied, nodding. "Izaak Ryuto."

"We all thought that you were dead." Kano told me.

"Not dead. Just kidnapped." I informed him. He still looked confused, so I said, "How about I explain inside?"

Kano just nodded, and we all went in the house.

* * *

I reached into my pocket with my free hand, my other arm wrapped around Azura, as we sat on the floor. I pulled my phone out, checking the time.  _We should get started soon. It's getting late._

I pocket my phone, before saying, "Yo, Rell."

April stopped the story that she was telling, as the Arcanine turned to me.

"Almost time for dinner." I informed him.

"Is it really?" Kano asked. He began getting up, saying, "Well, I guess that I should get into the kitchen."

Rell got up, stopping his father with his hand on his chest.

"Relax, dad." Rell told Kano. "Izaak and I have it covered."

"Oh?" Kano replied. "Have you?" He sat back down, and said, "Well, I shan't keep you waiting then. It's nice to see that you finally learned how to cook."

Rell chuckled, before heading towards the door, calling, "C'mon Izaak."

I nodded, and got up. I bent down, giving a quick kiss to Azura, before following Rell into the kitchen.

When we were in there, he spun around, and said, "So, how are we meant to do this?"

"It's simple." I answered. "We cook. You've done it before."

He sighed, and replied, "Yeah, but I really want to impress my dad. I mean, before you moved in, none of us really knew how to cook, so I want him to see that you are a good teacher, as well."

I thought for a second, before coming up with a meal.

A smile spread across my face, as I said, "Alright. You take desserts, I'll get dinner."

"What do we need?" He asked me.

"First, I need some bacon and chicken." I told him. "And, while I do that, you'll need Oreos. We have some, right?"

"Yeah, pretty sure." He replied, confused.

"Alright." I told him. "You'll also need a large pot, and some chocolate."

Rell nodded, and said, "Alright. I've kept all chocolate hidden since the incident with Eve eating a tub of ice cream, so we still have some."

"Good. Good." I replied, rubbing my hands together evilly.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Azura

"Dinner!" I heard Izaak yell.

I smiled, and said, "Well, I guess that that's our cue."

"Indeed." April agreed, rising.

We all got up, before heading into the dining room. As we entered, I saw that the table already had food on it. A plate stacked high with bacon-wrapped chicken, multiple bowls of vegetables, as well as a few pies, and one platter covered in small chocolate spheres, ones that I had never seen before.

I began to pull out my chair, but I froze when Midnight asked me, "Hey, Azura. What's shining on your hand?"

I sighed deeply.  _Right. I'm wearing the ring._

"Oh, nothing." I replied quickly.

"No, that's not nothing." Abigail pointed out. "That's a ring."

"Well, yeah." I said. "I mean, Izaak just wanted to get something special for me for Christmas."

"What's with the placement?" Ash asked me.

"Oh, y'know, just a random choice." I replied, starting to feel nervous.

"Really?" April retorted. "Because that finger is normally used for something… different."

I froze, trying to think of a response.

"Azura," Midnight started, "is that ring there for the reason that I think that it is?"

I stayed frozen, unsure of what to say. They all immediately found the answer in my silence.

"He didn't." Ash said, shocked.

I just slowly nodded.

"A-and you…" Alice added, trailing off.

I nodded again.

It was at this horridly inopportune time that Izaak decided to enter.

* * *

P.O.V Change: Izaak

"Alright guys, time to… eat." I began, trailing off at the end, as I noticed that everyone was looking at Azura.

All eyes turned to me, save Azura's, and I immediately knew what happened.

I ducked back behind the doorway, careful not to drop the plate of fudge that was in my hands.

"Izaak, come out." I heard Azura say.

"That depends." I replied. "Will I be Psyshocked, or am I safe?"

I heard a sigh from the dining room, followed by Midnight reassuring, "Calm down. I won't hurt you."

I sighed with relief, stepping out, as I caught Rell looking at me, puzzled.

"Good."I replied, stepping into the dining room, all eyes on me. "This fudge is way too good to drop."

Markus deadpanned, and asked, "Seriously? You were worried about the sweets?"

I shrugged, and said, "Yeah, of course. I mean, I'm a Dark type, so it's not like she could do any real damage to me."

I sat the tray on the table and looked at everyone.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, April said, "So…"

"Yes?" I asked.

"Well, um," Midnight continued, "this is just slightly odd."

"How so?" I asked.

"Well," Ash began, "I guess that I'll ask it, seeing as everyone is thinking it. Did it really happen? Did you really ask her?"

Azura and I both nodded simultaneously. We were suddenly pulled closer by a pair of arms, squeezing the breath out of both of us.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two." April squealed, pulling us to her.

"Hey, I wanna join." Midnight complained, rushing over to us. "After all, they're my family, too."

Midnight wrapped her arms around us, pulling us tighter. I heard footsteps, before looking over and seeing Rell enter.

He sighed, before asking, "Might I ask what is going on?"

"We all just found out that Azura and Izaak are engaged." Alice answered.

"What?" Rell asked, shocked. "Seriously?"

"Yep." I replied, nodding as much as possible with our current restrictions. "Why do you think that I bought that ring?"

He just shrugged, and said, "Yeah, that makes sense. So, what's with the group hug?"

"Well, it's not really a group one." I replied.

We suddenly felt another pair of arms around us, followed by Ash saying, "Until now." I looked at him inquisitively, and he replied, "What? You've always been like a brother to me."

"Group hug!" Midnight yelled.

In a few seconds, everyone was in a hug, with Azura and I in the middle, our arms bound to our sides. Hell, even Sylva joined in. We eventually had to break apart, though, due to Azura and I not wanting to suffocate under the love.

I chuckled, finally able to breathe, and said, "Thanks, guys."

"So," Midnight asked, as we all sat down, "have you guys thought of a date?"

"Well," Azura answered, "we're hoping for next winter."

Alice gasped, and said, "That sounds amazing." We all looked at her, and she continued, "Y'know, having it out in the yard, just before the sun sets, so that the snow is painted golden. Then, just as the sun dips down over the horizon, you two kiss, and make it official."

By now, the Ninetails was staring off into space, a smile on her face and her hands clasped together.

"Um, Alice?" I spoke up. "Zoning out over there?"

She shook herself back to reality, saying, "Oh. Sorry. It's just that this seems really romantic, and it sounds so wonderful."

Azura chuckled, and told her, "I never pinned you for the romance type."

Alice just shrugged, and replied, "Well, I am still a girl, after all. And, besides, love is pretty magical."

 _Speaking of love._ I glanced over at Dante and Eve, both of whom were sitting next to my chair. They looked back at me and nodded, telling me that the plan was ready.

"Well, let's eat!" Rell said, as I turned back to the table.

* * *

We all leaned back in our chairs, sighing contentedly.

"That was amazing." Abigail complimented.

"You can really cook, son." Kano told his son.

"Thanks," Rell replied, "I learned from the best."

I chuckled, and said, "C'mon, I'm not that good."

"You taught us how to cook, so that adds about twenty percent more awesomeness to your cooking." Markus retorted.

I just shrugged, as Kano looked at his watch, before saying, "Well, as much as I'd love to stay longer, it's getting late."

April looked at her phone, before agreeing, "Yeah, I should get going, too. I've got a fairly early patrol tomorrow."

"Alright." Rell said, standing up. "How about we all see you out?"

We all agreed, before rising. The room began emptying, with Rell and Alice in the front. I glanced down, seeing that Eve was looking up at me, before nodding down at her. She nodded to Dante, who was next to her, and they both ran up to the front of the line. Dante leapt onto Rell's shoulders, while Eve landed on Alice's.

"Hey!" Alice exclaimed.

"What the-" Rell began, before cutting off as he looked up.

As the two Eeveeutions had jumped onto the pair, they knocked the Fire duo closer, to where they were only an inch or so apart. As they had landed, Eve took a small branch, a few small red berries at the tip, from where she had it hidden in her puffy neck fur, and passed it to Dante, who was now holding it in his tail, just above Rell and Alice. Rell deadpanned, before turning to me.

"You planned this, didn't you?" He asked.

I just shrugged, and replied, "Maybe."

Azura chuckled, and added, "C'mon. You've got a tradition to uphold."

Rell sighed, before turning back to Alice. He stuttered slightly, leaning in, before pulling back. I sighed, as he just stood there, awkwardly.

"Oh, fuck it." Alice said.

She wrapped her arms around Rell, bringing him to her, as she leaned in, kissing him deeply. Rell's eyes went wide, before he sunk into the kiss, pulling Alice into his arms. They stayed like this for a few seconds, before breaking apart, gazing into each other's eyes, both of them panting slightly.

"Damn." Rell gasped out.

I just chuckled lightly, as everyone burst out laughing.


	15. Arceus, We Stink

** Arceus, We Stink **

"You sure that you want to do this?" I asked the headstrong Lucario, as he dropped down on the couch next to me, controller in hand. "I mean, I've played this game for years, technically."

"Your point?" He retorted. "I've put a lot of time into it since Christmas."

"He really has." Midnight confirmed. "Rather annoying, actually."

"Now you know my pain with Az and Dark Souls." I told the Espeon.

"Hey!" My fiancé scolded me, glaring at me from her seat. "In my defense, that game is fucking amazing. And, besides, I just beat the Bed of Chaos. I'm only missing the Four Kings and Gravelord Nito, then I'll fight Gwynn and be done."

"Until you start the sequel." Rell pointed out.

"Which will take you some time to finish." Alice added.

"Which means that I'll still have to put up with your late-night raging." I finished.

"As will I." Sylva added, sighing. "Sometimes I really hate my super-sensitive ears."

"Sorry about that." Azura told him, sounding guilty. "I forget about that sometimes."

"It's fine." He reassured her. "I still haven't adjusted to being able to sleep for a while anyway. I have started getting three or four hours, rather than one or two, though."

"Well, at least you have gotten somewhat better." Eve told him.

Sylva nodded to her, as Markus asked, "Anyway, we gonna start this?"

I thought about it for a second, before answering, "How about we make it a little more interesting? A two versus two, and the losing team does the winning team's chores for a week?"

The Lucario smirked back at me, replying, "Oh, hell yeah." He turned to the others, asking, "So, who wants to be on my team?"

The room fell silent for a few seconds, before Rell replied, "Fuck it, I'm game."

The Arcanine moved over to sit next to Markus on the couch, grabbing the third controller on the way.

I looked at the others, asking, "Anyone? Or will I have to go alone?"

Almost immediately, Midnight raised her hand, answering, "I'll be happy to kick some ass."

I smiled at the Espeon, as she grabbed the fourth, and final, controller, before coming over to me.

"There does appear to be an issue, however." She told me. "That couch only holds three."

I thought for a second, before telling her, "Sit on my lap."

There was a moment of silence, before Markus asked, "What?"

"What?" I asked him, slightly confused. "She needs somewhere to sit, and my lap is a free seat."

"Yeah, but she's my girlfriend." He retorted.

"That may be so, but she's on my team." I told him. "Therefore, it'd be more logical for her to sit on my lap, and not yours."

"Yeah, but she's my girlfriend." The Lucario repeated. "And you have a fucking fiancé."

I sighed, saying, "Alright, let's settle this." I turned to Midnight, asking, "Mid, you fine with sitting on my lap?"

"I don't see why not." She told me. "We can both be mature about it."

I nodded, looking over to Azura, and asking, "Az, you give a fuck?"

"Of course not." The Glaceon replied. "As Midnight said, you two can be mature about it. And, besides, I know that you've only ever seen her as a sister."

I nodded back, turning to Markus. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, as Midnight plopped down onto my lap. She moved her torso to the side, and I wrapped my arms around her, my controller in my hands.

I heard Markus groan in annoyance, and I sighed out, "What? I don't want to eat my fucking controller."

He just rolled his eyes, saying, "Just start the fucking game."

"Alright then, sassy." Midnight retorted.

As I held the first controller, I flicked through the Call of Duty: Ghosts screens to the multiplayer, before setting it on Team Deathmatch on Prison Break. The game started, and we all started playing, Midnight and I working together, while Markus and Rell scattered around. Five minutes and a couple of empty AK-12s later, Midnight and I stood victorious, while Markus and Rell drooped their heads in defeat.

"Yes!" Midnight cheered, spinning around and hugging me. "We won!"

I chuckled, returning the embrace, agreeing, "Yep."

She looked over to Markus and Rell, before sticking her tongue out and taunting, "Hope you two have fun with our chores."

The Lucario looked like he was about to snap a response back, but he was cut off by my phone ringing. I nodded to Midnight, and she got off of me, allowing me to stand up. I left the room, pulling my phone from my pocket.

I checked the caller, before answering it with, "Hey, April."

She let out an exasperated sigh, responding, "Hey, Izaak."

Worried, I asked, "What's up? You sound stressed."

"Yeah, sorta." She replied. "That's actually what I've called about."

"Oh?" I inquired. "What's up?"

She sighed, before beginning, "Well, in the past two weeks we've had a recent rise in crime, and most of it points towards one person."

"But, you don't know who he actually is, do you?" I asked her.

"No." She replied. "And that's why I'm asking for your help. You were always amazing at deduction and shit, so I was hoping that you could help us catch him."

"I'll be glad to help, April." I told her. "Want me to come by?"

"If at all possible." She answered. "If you could bring some help, that'd be nice."

"Yeah, I'll be over shortly." I told her.

"Alright, thanks." She answered. "See you then. Love you, Izaak."

"You too, April." I replied, before hanging up.

I let out a sigh, dropping my phone back in my pocket. I went back into the living room, to see that the others were all absorbed in conversation.

"Hey!" I called out, getting their attention. They all looked at me, and I asked, "Who wants to help me solve a crime?"

There was a moment of shocked silence, before Alice asked, "What?"

"Who wants to help me solve a crime?" I repeated.

"We heard that," Rell told me, "we just don't get what the hell you're talking about."

I sighed, replying, "April just called me. She wants my help with a crime, and she said that more help would be even better. So, who wants to help me solve a crime?"

There was more silence, before Midnight replied, "I'll help."

"What?" Markus asked, shocked.

She looked at him, and said, "What? They need help, and I'm willing to help."

Before anyone else could interject, she joined me in the doorway.

I nodded to her, before asking Rell, "Hey, can I borrow your bike?"

"Do you know how to drive it?" The Arcanine asked me.

"Of course." I replied. He still seemed reluctant, so I added, "Trust me, I can drive perfectly. Trust me."

He hesitated for a moment, before pulling out the keys and throwing them to me.

"Damage it, and I'll chop your balls off." He threatened me, as I caught the keys.

"Nothing will happen." I told him. "Don't worry."

Midnight turned to me, asking, "So, should we go grab our disguises?"

I nodded, replying, "Yep."

With that, myself and my Espeon companion went upstairs. We entered our respective rooms, and I quickly changed into the more covering clothes that made our disguise. I left my room, before heading down the stairs, with Midnight quickly catching up. Upon reaching the entrance hall, I saw that both Markus and Azura were standing there, and I let out an internal groan.

When we got to them, Markus immediately asked, "Midnight, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going with Izaak to help his sister." She told him. "I had assumed that that was obvious."

"I noticed that." He growled. "What I mean is that I'd prefer it if you didn't go. You could get hurt."

The Espeon rolled her eyes, replying, "Markus, I'll be fine. Trust me."

The Lucario looked as if he was about to argue more, but Midnight stopped him by storming past him, going for the door. She flung it open, before exiting the house, slamming the door behind her. Azura and I both cringed at the implied anger in the action, but Markus just let out a dejected sigh, drooping his head and going to the dining room.

I let out my own sigh, before turning to Azura and asking, "You here to talk me out of it, as well?"

"Of course not, Izaak." She reassured me. "I know that you want to help your sister, and I'm perfectly fine with it. I also know that you could get hurt, but I trust you to keep that from happening."

I nodded, replying, "Thank you."

She returned the gesture, adding, "But, Izaak? Can you please make sure that Midnight stays safe? She can handle herself, but just because she's my older sister, that doesn't mean that she has as much experience as me. She's never really fought or anything, and I don't want that to cause her to get hurt."

I pulled the Glaceon into a hug, telling her, "Of course, Az. I'll give you the same promise that I gave Midnight on Halloween. I'll protect her with my life. If harm comes to anyone, it'll be me, not her."

"Or you could just not let harm come at all." She said into my chest. "I don't want to lose you either."

"And you won't." I reassured her. "I promise that I'm here to stay, and I'll protect you and the rest of our family forever. Got it?"

"Got it." She answered, as I let her go. "Thanks."

I nodded, replying, "Of course. Now, I should probably be going. Midnight's waiting."

I went to leave, but I stopped when Azura grabbed my arm, quietly saying, "Izaak?" I turned to her, and she quietly said, "Can you start keeping an eye on Midnight and Markus? Recently he's seemed… off. As if something isn't quite right in their relationship. I've been watching Midnight, but she doesn't seem to act differently. And, well, you're better at noticing those little things about people, and I was hoping that you could help me."

I nodded back, understanding what she meant, "Yeah, I agree. He's been a little off. I'll check it out, though."

She nodded her thanks, releasing me.

I planted a quick kiss on her lips, before telling her, "I love you. We'll be back soon."

"Love you too." She told me, as I went to the door.

I opened the door, stepping out into the snow, and closed the door behind me. I looked up to the sky, sighing at the precipitation that will surely make driving more difficult.  _At least we're in the first week of January. Getting closer to warmer weather and no snow. Granted, I like snow and the cold, but driving in it sucks ass._ I looked over to where Rell had started parking his bike, and saw that Midnight was already waiting by it.

"Ready?" I asked her, going over to the Espeon.

"Yep." She replied.

I nodded in return, getting on the bike. Midnight got on behind me, wrapping her arms around me and clasping her hands at my stomach. I kicked the stand up, before starting the bike and tearing out of the yard.

"So, what's the deal with this shit?" Midnight called over the wind.

"Not fully sure." I replied. "All I know is what April told me. Some guy has been an asshole for a while, and they haven't been able to catch him. So, she wants our help."

"Where are we meeting her?" She asked.

"Her house." I informed my companion. "I'm assuming that she'll tell us more when we get there."

"Alright." Was the reply.

There was a moment of silence, before I inquired, "So, any reason in particular that you wanted to come with me?"

"Other than just to help?" She asked. "Well, yeah, it's not really just that. Ever since I was a kid, back when Azura and I were still human, I've wanted to be a cop."

"Really?" I asked, rather surprised.

"Yep." She called back. "It always seemed so cool to me. Y'know, getting paid to help people, knowing that you're the reason people can sleep soundly at night. I like the thought of it."

"And you've always wanted to turn on the siren." I suggested.

She laughed, telling me, "You got me. I was one of those kids. Whenever I saw a train, all I wanted to do was blow the whistle. It seemed like it'd be fun."

I chuckled to her, saying, "Thought so."

"Oh, be quiet." The Espeon scolded me, as we drove through the woods. "Don't act like you didn't have a dream."

I hesitated for a moment, replying, "I didn't."

"What?" She asked me, shocked. "You mean that you never had a dream of what you want to do? Never wanted to do something like follow in your parents' footsteps and be a world renowned scientist? Never wanted to be the classic, albeit rather underdone, Pokemon master?"

"Nope." I replied. "Never."

"Well, why not?" She inquired.

I let out a sigh, telling her, "Things just don't go my way. I never saw a point in a dream when my reality was a nightmare."

Midnight hesitated for a moment, before replying, "That's really dark."

"Maybe so, but it's the truth." I informed her.

"But you don't know that you can't achieve something until you try, Izaak." She told me. "Just because life hasn't gone your way, that doesn't mean that it can't. I mean, look at all of us. Almost all of us come from a shitty past and a broken home, but we still live together. We're a family, albeit dysfunctional, but we're still a family. Truth be told, when Azura and I were on the streets, the only thought on my mind was that we would die the next day. Every night that I went to sleep with next to me was a miracle in my eyes. I never told her that, but it's the truth."

I hesitated for a moment, before telling her, "Yes, well, my life hasn't exactly been good in any way. Not to sound like an ass, but I feel like it's worse than most, the only exceptions being Alice and possibly Sylva, depending on what actually happened to him prior to becoming a science experiment."

"How so?" The Espeon asked me, sounding intrigued. "I mean, you had a loving and rather rich family, prior to being captured."

I let out a sigh, replying, "Life just wasn't the best for me. I had a certain knack for getting people in trouble. I'd prefer to just leave it at this: When my parents died and I went missing, there were very few people left to attend a funeral."

After that, all conversation stopped, and I could feel the awkwardness in the air. After a few more minutes, I saw the town up ahead. I looked up at the sky, watching the moon slowly creep up.

"No point in ditching the bike and walking." I told Midnight. "It's dark enough to where no one will notice our actual forms on the way to April's."

I felt her nod, and I sped into the town. I wove through the streets with skill, until I pulled up at April's house. We got off of the bike, and I led the way up to her front door. I knocked on the door, with Midnight standing close to me against the snow and cold. There was a moment of silence, before the door was opened by a familiar Umbreon.

"Hey." Dante greeted us. "April told me you were coming. Sorry for the small wait on the door. I can't exactly reach the knob, and I don't have thumbs."

"Then why didn't you get April or Ash to get it?" I asked, as he moved aside to let us in. "Or use your Psychic to open it."

"I didn't get anyone to help because Ash finally persuaded April to sleep after more than twenty four hours of staying awake." He told us, nudging the door shut behind us. "And I didn't use my Psychic because I didn't think about it."

I rolled my eyes, smirking at the Umbreon's response.

"Anyway, have a seat, guys." He told us, motioning to April's living room couch.

We sat down, and Dante joined us. I looked around the room, seeing that it looked rather similar to ours, but the table in the center was littered with files.

"So, April said that she could use some help." I told Dante.

"Yeah, she could." He replied. "And she has myself and Ash to thank for telling her that. We kept telling her to ask for help, but she would always say no. Until today, that is."

"Well, we're here to help." Midnight said. "What can we do?"

"Nothing, yet." The Umbreon replied. "I need to brief you on the situation first. Can't have you not knowing what you're helping with, after all."

I nodded, telling him, "Brief away."

He nodded back, beginning, "So, the first hit was on December 26. It was just some random little robbery of a gas station. No big deal, right? Well, other than the fact that it was an armed robbery, it was no big deal. I mean, they didn't catch the guy that did it, but no one was hurt and he only made off with about twenty dollars. Well, a few days later, there was another robbery, this one of a convenience store. Same guy, just one difference: No weapon, but a Seviper."

"He robbed a place with a Pokemon?" Midnight asked.

"Yep." Dante replied, nodding. "It's rare, due to most Pokemon having no desire to do so, but this guy did it."

"Odd." I commented.

Dante nodded, before continuing, "Anyway, this time it was more serious. The guy made off with a couple hundred dollars, and he injured the clerk. Apparently, he had the Seviper constrict the guy, and it ended up bruising him and cracking a rib. But, still no capture."

"He just stick to robberies?" I inquired.

"I'm getting to that." Dante told me. "Anyway, a few days past, and something new happens. A guy is found in an alley, unconscious, bruised, and with a few snake bites on him. He's brought to the hospital, and when he finally wakes up, he says that a man and a Seviper attacked him. The last attack occurred just last week. A woman was found beaten to death, and the injuries are consistent with that of a metal bat or pipe."

I waited for a few moments, thinking, before observing, "Rather quick advancement in his crime severity. You sure that it's all the same guy?"

The Umbreon nodded, replying, "Positive. He always leaves his symbol."

"Symbol?" Midnight asked, intrigued.

Dante nodded, before flipping open one of the multiple files on the table and pulling out a small business card. He gave it to Midnight and myself, and we examined the symbol. It appeared to be a fairly simple shape, consisting of nothing more than a spike with a Seviper coiled around it.

"How do you know that it's him every time?" I asked. "Could just be a copycat using the symbol."

"Not possible." Dante told us.

"How so?" Midnight inquired.

"Because no one knows about the symbol." A voice said from the stairs. We looked over, to see that Ash had spoken, and he continued, "The only people that know about it are other cops and everyone in this room. Never been put on the news."

I nodded, as he came over and sat down.

"Where's April?" Dante asked the Blaziken.

"She's getting dressed." He told the Umbreon. "She just took a quick shower."

Dante nodded, and I asked, "So, can I see a map of the town?"

"Cops already looked." Ash told me. "But you're welcome to it."

He opened up another one of the files, before pulling out a map. On it, I saw four marks in red.

"Those the sites?" Midnight asked.

"Yep." Dante replied. "Cops already deduced that he may live there. Problem is, all that exists in that part of town are abandoned factories, and they didn't find anyone that could have been him in any of them."

"There were reports of his appearance?" I asked. Dante nodded, and I commanded, "Tell me what they said."

"Rather simple, really." The Umbreon told me. "He wore shitty clothes, his hair looked all dirty and scraggly, he looked unkempt in general, and he was covered in dirt. Stank like hell, too. All consistent with what a bum would look like."

"What about his skin tone?" I asked.

"As I said, dirty as hell." He replied.

"I got that." I told him. "But I want his skin tone. Y'know, dark skinned, about average, burnt. What is it?"

Ash appeared to think for a second, before replying, "The first guy, the gas station dude, said that he appeared to be really pale where he wasn't dirty."

"Which, once again, is consistent with a bum." Dante said. "I really don't see how that can help."

I went silent, lost in thought. I continued examining the map, looking at every inch of it closely. When April finally joined us, I spared a second to give her a quick greeting, before going back to my work. After a few moments, however, I had a thought.

I grabbed a marker from the table and circled an alley, asking, "Have you guys checked there?"

April looked at what I circled, before asking, "The alley on Waters Street? Of course. Once again, the factories didn't give us anything."

"No, not the factories." I told her. "I got that already."

"Then what are you talking about?" Ash asked me.

I looked over to Midnight, and I saw that she had noticed the same thing that I had.

She looked up at me, asking, "Do you really think that he'd live there?"

"I don't see why not." I replied. "It fits perfectly, and anyone there would be pale and dirty as fuck."

"What are you guys talking about?" Dante asked us. "What do you see that a whole building of cops, as well as Ash and I, don't."

Midnight and I looked up, smiling, as I told them, "We see a hole. Specifically, a manhole."

There was a moment of silence, before April face-palmed, scolding herself, "How the hell did I not see it? Of course. The sewers were built with workers in mind, so there's more than enough places that are kept dry and out of the sewage."

I nodded, agreeing, "Exactly. If I'm right, then he's been living in the sewers there."

At my words, April wrapped Midnight and I in a hug, thanking us, "Thank you guys so much. If this is right, then we'll have this asshole in a cell by midnight." April let us go, shooting up, and saying, "I've got to go pick up some backup and search the place."

"So let us be your backup." I told her.

She froze, asking, "What?"

"Let us come with you." I repeated. "It'll save time, and we all know that a human cop and two Morphs would be much better against him than three human cops."

"That may be true, but you guys are still civilians." She told us. "I can't have you going after him. It's illegal."

"Only if we get caught." Midnight retorted. April still looked reluctant, so Midnight pleaded, "Please, April. We won't be seen. And we can help."

My sister looked at Ash and Dante for support, but they just shrugged.

"It wouldn't hurt, love." Ash told her.

"And, besides, they could probably help find him, and catch him, should he run." Dante added.

April sighed, caving, "Fine. You can come. But you stick with me, and don't do anything stupid. Got it?"

"Got it." Midnight replied, a smile spreading across her face.

With that, Midnight and I shot up, and April led us out the door and to her squad car.

As we got in, I asked, "Don't you technically have to be on duty to catch him?"

"I am." She replied, starting up the car. "I decided to stay on duty today, despite being at home. I've spent all day looking everything over."

I nodded as we pulled out of the driveway. I looked over at Midnight, and I saw that she had a wide smile stuck on her face.

"Excited?" I asked, catching her contagious smile.

"Hell yeah." She replied. "This is what I always dreamt of as a child. I can't believe that I finally get to live it."

I looked up at April, and I saw that she had the same expression, with some amusement in her eyes.

As we drove through the town square, I saw Midnight's eyes grow wide, as she watched a building, asking, "What is that?"

I followed her gaze, and replied, "What? The library?"

"That's what that is?" She asked me. I nodded, and she followed it up with, "What are those statues there?"

I looked at the rather familiar twin statues at the stairs of the large marble building, and answered, "Those are of an ancient hero. The kneeling hooded figure is said to have saved the world from an evil army thousands of years ago. The little Flareon on his shoulder was his partner, and that katana was his weapon of choice."

"Wow." Midnight commented. "That's so cool."

"Yep." I agreed. "Apparently, very few people knew who he actually was. Even he didn't, really." She looked at me, confused, so I explained, "You see, if the stories are to be believed, he woke up one day in the woods outside of a town that rested on this very spot. He had no idea who he was, but he knew that he could fight. He ran into that little Flareon, and she joined him in his quest to discover who he really is."

"That sounds cool." Midnight said.

"Indeed." I agreed.

Midnight was about to speak again, but April beat her to it, "Sorry to interrupt the history lesson, kids, but we're here."

I looked out the window to see that we were, in fact, at the alley. April turned off the car and we all got out.

"Alright," April told us, "you two are to stick with me. No running off, and no being stupid. Got it?"

Midnight and I nodded, and we started down the alley. After a few minutes of walking, we reached our destination: a manhole. I bent down and, with the help of Midnight, lifted the metal cover. Upon opening the hatch, a disgusting stench rose into the sky, and we all back away, covering our noses.

"Holy shit, that's sickening." I commented, resisting the urge to gag.

"Yeah." Midnight agreed. "Even through these bandanas, it makes me ill."

"Well, let's go." April told us, holding her nose. "The quicker we get him, the quicker we leave."

I nodded, before leading the way down the ladder. After a minute or so of climbing into darkness, I felt myself hit the floor. I stepped off the ladder, looking around, and saw nothing.

"Bring a flashlight?" I whispered out.

"Shit. No." Was April's hushed response. "I didn't even think about it."

I nodded, reaching into my pockets.  _Please tell me I didn't somehow forget it._ I finally found what I was looking for, and I pulled it from my pocket. I flicked the lighter open, before summoning the flame.

"Better." I commented, as Midnight and April landed next to me.

They came to stand next to me, and April looked left and right, asking, "Which way?"

Thinking, I bent down, examining the floor. It took a few moments, but I eventually located what appeared to be footprints, leading off to the right.

"This way." I told her, leading the way.

As we went, April fell in behind me, with Midnight behind her.

"April?" Midnight asked. "Is there any way that I could have something to defend myself with, should we be attacked?"

"What do you mean?" My sister asked. "You have your powers."

"I know," the Espeon said, "but I don't want to risk anything. I know that it'd be bad if he were to die, and I don't know if I could keep myself from accidentally killing him, should I need to defend myself."

"I guess that I can see that." April agreed. I heard her messing around with her pockets, before saying, "Take this. It's a taser. Not too hard to use, just aim and pull the trigger. It won't kill, only incapacitate, but it only has one shot. Therefore, make sure that you'll hit, then fire."

"Thank you." Midnight replied.

After that short exchange, our party grew quiet, following the light of my lighter's flame. After a few more minutes, I began to hear a voice, so I shot my hand up, flicking the lighter closer.

"Alright. Go." April whispered.

I continued on, leading the way through the darkness, until I saw the light of a flame dancing on the wall around a bend up ahead. We continue creeping through the shadows, until I got a good look at the scene ahead. I saw a man matching the description I was given standing by a small fire, with a Seviper at his feet. I nodded to April, and I moved aside, allowing her to take point. In the dim light, I saw her draw her gun and badge, before creeping forward.

When we were only a few feet away, she stood up, shouting, "Freeze! Police!"

The man spun to us, as did his Seviper. Without saying a word, the snake launched itself at April, fangs bared. Thinking quickly, I charged a Shadow Ball, before sending it flying. It hit the snake directly, sending it flying to the opposite wall, where it fell to the floor, unconscious. As the Pokemon hit the floor, the man quickly rushed April, pulling a knife from his pocket. Before he had a chance to get close, however, two barbs shot from behind me, hitting the man in the chest and dropping him in a shaking fit of electricity. I looked back, to see that Midnight had the taser raised, panting lightly. I nodded to her, and she nodded back, her face stoney.

After a few moments of silence, I asked, "Should we head up?"

"Probably." April replied. "I hate this stench, and I need to get him in. Izaak, can you get him?"

I nodded, and Midnight added, "I'll grab the snake."

April nodded, and Midnight and I grabbed the pair. We brought them to the surface, having some difficulty with the man, before cuffing them and loading them into the back of the squad car.

When that was done, April turned to us, saying, "Thanks, guys. You really did help. I couldn't have done it without you."

We nodded in response, and I told her, "It's no big deal. Always happy to help."

She nodded back, sighing, telling us, "Listen, I wish that I could give you guys a ride back to get the bike, but I really need to get these two down to the station."

"It's fine." I reassured her. "We understand. We can skirt around and get it."

She nodded to us, saying, "Alright. Once again, thanks. I owe you two one."

We nodded back, as she got in the car and drove off. After that, Midnight and I stood there, silent. Eventually, I looked over at Midnight, only to see a wide smile on her face.

She immediately wrapped me in a hug, telling me, "Thank you, Izaak. You've helped me finally see what it's like to be a cop. And, well, I enjoyed it."

I hugged her back, saying, "Of course. I'm always happy to help."

We stayed in this embrace for a few minutes, before breaking apart, both of us smiling.

After a few more seconds, Midnight said, "Well, I guess we should go and get the bike and get home."

I nodded, agreeing, "Yeah." I let out a small sigh, adding, "Arceus, we stink."


	16. Stupid Fucking Asshole

**Finally, we can continue with Izaak's fucked up story! Finally! Yeah, sorry about the wait, but allow me to explain for you guys that don't randomly check out my profile. So, you guys know my shitty, barely working computer that I have been using? Yeah... It's broken. No longer works. Like, at all. Therefore, I now have to write on my mother's computer whenever I get the chance, which is normally, like, past midnight on the weekends. I mean, half of this chapter was written in my homeroom today at school, as we had to go to homeroom today to receive yearbooks (Didn't buy one, obviously. Why would I spend 65 dollars on a book full of people that I fucking hate?) and my homeroom has computers, so I spent that hour and a half listening to My Chemical Romance and writing this. Yeah, not the best way to do it. But, that should change soon, as my last full day of school is May 21 (22 is a half day, but I never go on those. Fuck them.), so then I won't need to go to sleep so early for school, and I can therefore write more. So, yeah, should be cool. As far as my writing schedule for the next little bit goes, I'll probably put it on my profile. Anyway, let's get to reviews, then we can go to the chapter (Which is so short. I'm so sorry.).**

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**Ryderbike: Doubt that's really a spoiler, as it's public info. As far as that outcome... Just wait and see.**

**William R: "Rushed" is essentially my first two stories (This and Free) in a nutshell. I'm trying to slow it down more.**

**ArceusMinion: I mean... That was the point. I never claimed to write crime shit, that was just a fun little friendship chapter. It wasn't meant to be all detailed and shit with it.**

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**Onward to storydom!**

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**Stupid Fucking Asshole**

I continued my walk through the forest, my head down, deep in thought.  _Why the hell is it back? What caused it to randomly return? I thought that it was gone for good._ As I kept with my slow rhythm of stepping, the moon shining down on me, I went about recounting the events of the day, my worry growing as I did so.

* * *

I checked the clock on my phone, sighing lightly as I discovered that I had been standing against the abandoned factory wall for almost an hour now.

"Guess that he isn't coming." I commented to myself, standing up from my leaning position. "Might as well head home. No point in wasting my time."

Just as I went to return to the woods, I heard approaching footsteps, causing me to hit the wall again, before peeking around the corner. Upon looking, I saw the Blaziken that I had been waiting for wandering around, looking around corners.

"Yo!" I called, stepping out of my cover. "Over here!"

Ash turned to me, visibly breathing a sigh of relief, before heading my way.

"Thank Arceus." He told me. "I thought that you had left."

"I was about to." I informed him. "What the hell took you so long?"

He let out a small sigh, replying, "Had to do some chores at home first. Simple shit, like vacuum, and stuff like that."

I chuckled, asking, "And it took you that long?"

He shrugged, answering, "Yeah, I guess. Keep in mind, I live with Dante."

"True, true." I agreed. We turned towards the forest and began wandering into it, as I asked, "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

The Blaziken let out an awkward chuckle, before sighing, his arms going limp at his side, as he replied, "Well, in all honesty, I mostly just wanted to talk in general. I mean, you were my best friend for years, and then April and I left, and then… Well, you know." He trailed off near the end, his eyes on his feet.

I wrapped my arm around him, surprising him, as I told him, "I understand, Ash. I missed you too, buddy. It'll be nice to just chat again. Just like old times."

"Yeah, just like old times." He agreed. He then placed his hand on my white-furred left shoulder, adding, "Well, sort of."

I shrugged, saying, "Yeah. Other than this, though. Just like old times."

We continued walking for a few seconds, before Ash flopped down at the base of a tree, his back to the bark. I sat down next to him, taking in the scenery. The trees around us all appeared to be damaged in some way, most having some burn marks on them, piquing my interest.

"What happened here?" I asked, looking at the scorch marks on the tree to my left.

"A small fire a few years back." The Blaziken answered. "It didn't go too far, but these trees just never really recovered."

"Odd." I commented.

"I guess." Was the reply, as the avian Pokemon shrugged.

After this short exchange, we were plunged into silence, the only sounds being those of the forest.

Finally, Ash broke the silence, saying, "She blamed herself, y'know." I raised my eyebrow at the Blaziken, confused, causing him to continue, "For what happened. April couldn't take it, really. She just… Fell apart. When she first found out, she cried. Just broke down and cried. When she came back and saw the ruins of the house, I had to carry her to the hotel. She couldn't bring herself to move. And then the funeral came, and she could barely bring herself to go. She kept strong there, though. Never a falter in her manner, never a tear on her cheek." He sighed, deeply, before going on, "Until we got home. Then she collapsed on the couch, letting loose the hidden tears. Wouldn't move for a few days. That's when she finally told me. She blamed herself. She thought that if she had stayed, if we hadn't gone on the journey, then maybe she could have made a difference. Maybe everyone would still be alive. I tried convincing her otherwise, but she didn't want to hear it. She was sure that it was her fault. And she hated herself for it. She couldn't look at herself in the mirror. She quickly picked up some new habits." He hesitated slightly, before sighing, adding, "Some of your habits. She began cutting. Drinking. Sleeping constantly. Anything to escape the pain; the guilt. She eventually joined the police, wanting to keep this from ever happening again, but she didn't stop her escape. Dante and I were worried about her. Never let her out of our sight, too scared as to what she'd do if she was alone."

I hesitated for a moment, before slowly saying, "I'm sorry. Does- Does she still do it?"

The Blaziken let out a sigh, replying, "No, thank Arceus. She did, though. Until you came back."

I closed my eyes, nodding solemnly.  _I can't believe that I had that much of an impact on her. Damn._

"Of course," he added, sounding slightly muffled, "she wasn't the only one who thought that it was their fault." I turned, to see that my childhood friend had his head in his hands, as he told me, "I was always so sure that I could have stopped it. Because I know that I could have. I could have made a difference."

I wrapped my arm around Ash, pulling him into a reassuring hug, telling him, "Ash, it isn't your fault. It sucks that it happened, but all of that is in the past. I miss them, but I have a new life now. As do you and April."

"Yeah, I know." He replied, sighing. "Doesn't meant that it doesn't hurt to know that I could have helped."

"Just don't think about it." I told him. "Just don't."

"Yeah, I guess." He agreed, nodding. "Thanks." He rose, informing me, "I should really get home. April and I are going out tonight."

I got me my feet, chuckling to him, "Nice. Plans?"

"Dinner." He replied. "Maybe a movie. Then some fun at home."

I rolled my eyes, smacking Ash on the back of his head, scolding him, "Rule number one of dating the sister of a relatively protective freakshow of a Pokemorph, don't talk about fucking her."

He shrugged, replying, "Yeah, bad move on my part, really."

With that, we began walking out of the clearing, but I froze as I heard a deep voice sounding in my head, one that was all too familiar.

It let out a deep chuckle, before commenting, "Well, if it isn't our buddy Ashley. Been quite a while since I've seen him. Maybe I should say hello."

_No. Please, don't. Just don't._

"Oh, come now, Izaak, you know that pleading never worked for me." The voice told me, the sneering tone both infuriating and worrying me. "Besides, look at all of these amazingly fragile trees around here. That fire certainly helped me out."

As soon as the sentence was finished, I became aware of Ash shaking me slightly, repeating, "Izaak, wake up! Snap out of it!"

I shook myself, snapping my eyes onto my friend, stuttering out, "R-Right. Sorry. Just zoned out, I guess."

He nodded as if he understood, but I could see the confusion in his eyes.

"Alright then." He told me, turning around. "Let's head back to town."

I nodded, but I remained motionless as he walked away. Just before Ash left the clearing, there was a loud snapping sound, causing him to freeze. As soon as he did that, a large tree to his right began crashing down, aiming right for him. The Blaziken's eyes locked onto the tree, but he didn't move.  _No!_ I acted quickly, charging a Dark Pulse on each foot, as I took of running towards him. When I was a foot or so away, I detonated the pulses mid step, sending me flying into my friend, knocking him off his feet and launching both of us out of the way of the falling tree. There was a loud crash as the air whipped around us, followed by splinters of wood flying off of the tree.

"Or, right." The voice sighed. "I had forgotten that you are a freak now."

I stayed on top of Ash, taking the few splinters that came our way in the back, gasping in slight pain as they hit. We remained in that position for a minute or so, before I finally rolled off of Ash, my breath steadied.

"Holy shit." He spoke, panting. "What was that?"

"A tree." I responded simply. "A falling fucking tree."

"I-I see that." He told me. He let out a sigh, adding, "Thank you. You saved me."

I just shrugged, replying, "Don't worry about it. I just acted."

_Besides, it's my fault._

"Still, thanks." He insisted.

I just nodded, remaining silent.

After a few more minutes, I suggested, "We should probably get home now."

"Yep." The Blaziken replied, as I got to my feet. I helped him to his feet, as he added, "I suggest that no one else knows about this."

"Agreed." I confirmed, nodding.

As we started out of the clearing, I felt that intense feeling of guilt weigh down on my head again, a feeling that I hadn't felt in years.  _You'll have to try a hell of a lot harder to get to them, fucker._

There was a deep chuckle in my head, followed by, "Trust me, I fully intend to."

* * *

I sent my fist flying into a tree, ignoring the pain of the hit.

"Damn it!" I shouted to no one. "Why the hell does this have to happen right fucking now?"

There was no reply, just as I knew.

"Figures." I scoffed. "He's always around, except for when I fucking want him. Stupid fucking asshole."

Without thinking, I charged a Dark Pulse in my hand, before using it to explode part of the tree into tiny shards, leaving a large hole in the trunk. With that done, I turned around, before stalking my way back home, fighting back tears.

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**Plot! I am excite! We are coming on to one of my favorite parts of this story, and it will get fucking weird. You'll either like it, or you'll hate it. But, that's all how you feel. Also, a little shameless self-promotion, if you guys want to read the first chapter of my first non-FanFiction work, head to my profile, and copy the link thingy. Now, I am gone.**

**Goodbye, my Lunar Knights.**


	17. Why Does He Smell Like That?

**Why Does He Smell Like That?**

“You sure you don’t want to come?” I asked the Umbreon/Absol cross. “It’ll just be us walking around in the woods.”

“No thank you, Markus.” He replied once again, his voice weary and his eyes drooping. “I really don’t feel all that well. I apologize.”

I let out a small sigh, replying, “Alright. See-yah later, man.”

I closed the door sadly, my ears drooping. I slowly turned around, moving down the hall from Izaak and Azura’s door, dragging my feet on the carpet. Damn it. What’s been up with Izaak recently? He’s been acting different, even around Azura. I dropped down onto the stairs, sitting on the top set. I swung my head down between my legs, placing my hands on the top of my head. I let out a sigh, my sadness overwhelming me. What’s with him? He’s changed recently. He’s just been so… distant, as of late. Did we piss him off, or something?

I felt a weight drop onto the stairs next to me, pulling me from my thoughts, followed by a light voice asking, “What’s up?”

I looked up to the blind Umbreon next to me, replying, “Nothing, I guess.”

He wrapped his arm around me, pushing, “C’mon, man, we both know that that’s bull. What’s bothering you?”

I let out a small sigh, answering, “It’s Izaak, man. He’s been acting oddly recently, even with Azura.”

He sighed back to me, agreeing, “Yeah. Been acting oddly ever since he went to visit Ash.”

“Think something happened between them?” I asked him.

“Doubt it.” He replied, shrugging. “I mean, those guys were best friends. I highly doubt that anything Ash could say could piss Izaak off much.”

“True.” I agreed, nodding slowly.

We were both silent for a few moments, before Sylva nudged me, asking, “Wanna go hang out? Y’know, just mess around in the woods; take our minds off things?”

My drooped ears sprang up at his words, as I replied, “Sure. Have nothing better to do.”

He smiled at me, rising, telling me, “Cool. Let’s go, then. Eve’s passed out right now, so we don’t have to worry about her.”

“Worry about her?” I asked, standing up. “I thought that you like hanging out with her.”

“Of course I do.” He replied, somewhat defensively, as we started down the stairs. “It’s just that, y’know, sometimes I like to just be without her.”

I nodded, saying, “Yeah, I see where you’re coming from, man. Midnight was pretty clingy when we first got together.” I froze for a second, before rushing out, “Not that you and Eve are dating, or anything. I just meant that-”

He waved his hand lightly, cutting me off with, “Don’t worry about it, man. I understand what you meant.”

I let out a nervous sigh as we left the house, stepping out into the snowy yard, saying, “Cool. Just, y’know, didn’t want to offend.”

The Umbreon merely shrugged, assuring me, “You can’t really offend me. Not really that easy.”

“Good to know.” I told him, nodding. “I mean, in all honesty, you and I don’t know each other that well.”

“Now that I think about it, I guess that you’re right.” He agreed. “Wanna walk and chat? Bond a little bit?”

“Sure.” I told him, nodding slightly.  “Should be nice.”

“So,” he began, “how’ve you and Midnight been? Moving in together changed your relationship any?”

I merely shrugged, struggling to hide my smirk as I replied, “No big changes, really.”

I heard Sylva chuckle, telling me, “C’mon, Markus,you know that I saw that smirk. Besides, I’m not a child. I’m a teenage Umbreon that is part Espeon, who also happens to have hyper sensitive ears, which are capable of hearing every single noise from your room.”

I froze, my mouth agape, as I asked him, “You know about what we do?”

He nodded, smirking at me, replying, “Yeah. I thought that I knew what it was, and Izaak confirmed it.”

My mouth gaped wider, while I said, “Izaak heard it, too?”

“Yep.” The Umbreon informed me. “As far as I know, though, it’s just us.”

I let out a sigh of relief, closing my mouth, realizing how stupid I look.

“Please, man, keep that between us.” I pleaded. “You and Izaak can’t let anyone else know about this, especially Rell. He’ll fucking kill us.”

“Relax, Markus.” He told me. “I’ll keep it a secret. And I’m sure that Izaak will, as well.”

“Thank you.” I said, nodding to him. “You’re a fucking life saver, man.”

He nodded back, saying, “I know. But please try and be quieter from now on. I’m losing sleep.”

I chuckled nervously, replying, “Of course, man. No problem. Sorry for keeping you up so much.”

“It’s all good.” He assured me, chuckling slightly. “Not necessarily your fault, really. You didn’t cause me to have super sensitive ears.”

I was about to reply, but I quickly grew silent upon hearing movement nearby. I glanced over at Sylva, confirming that he had heard it too, before slowly moving towards the noise.

As I neared the source of the sound, I heard a somewhat familiar voice speaking, “Now where in the world is that bush at? Last time I was here, it was heavy with berries.”

Intrigued, I peered through the snow covered branches before us, looking for the speaker. I let out a small sigh of relief upon spotting a familiar half-blind Ninetails, who appeared to be nosing around the slightly green bushes.

I calmly stepped out of my hiding spot, Sylva cautiously following, as I asked, “Need some help?”

The Ninetails leapt a foot or so into the air in shock, whipping around to face us. She slid her lips back, snarling at us, her teeth bared.

I threw my hands up, trying to defuse the situation, “Relax. We’re not enemies. I’m the Lucario from Halloween, remember? I was with Izaak.”

She kept up her defensive stance against Sylva and I for a few more moments, before slowly calming herself.

“Yes, I remember you.” She told me, her eyes scanning me. “You helped Grace.” Her eyes flicked over to Sylva, as she said, “Your companion, on the other hand, I have no recognition of.”

She stalked over to him and began sniffing his pant leg. He froze at this, shooting me a confused and worried glance, which I returned with a shrug.

After a few seconds, the Ninetails left Sylva’s leg, asking him, “Why do you smell like that old house? The burned one?”

After a few moments without a reply, I noticed that the Umbreon was frozen, his antisocial tendencies kicking in.

I quickly covered him, replying, “Technically speaking, he doesn’t. You see, the previous resident, Eve, has since moved in with us, and she tends to enjoy spending time with him.”

Her eyes hovered over my friend for a few tense moments, before she turned away, allowing Sylva to let out a sigh of relief, as she said, “Very well. And, yes, if you must know, I would be quite happy for some help.”

I nodded to her, asking, “What do you need?”

She sat down, answering, “I need to find some berries. Particularly, these little black ones, with a red stripe around the center.”

“Berries?” I inquired. “Why those in particular?”

“Because, I am the clan’s medicine fox, for lack of a better term.” She explained.  “Therefore, it is my duty to heal any injuries suffered by the members of our clan. Which, if my storage is lacking, includes finding more. In this case, I’m looking for a berry that, once turned into a paste, can be combined with a few others that I have back home to be a very potent antidote.”

“Is someone poisoned in your group?” I followed up.

“Yes, but not as badly as you may think.” She assured me. “The young Vulpix in question will most likely not die from the poison. All it does is send an almost constant numb pain through the body. While this may not sound very nice, it’s much better than death.”

“True.” I agreed, nodding. “But, if you’re the designated healer, why do you not have an assistant to help? Y’know, someone to send out to gather supplies, and stuff?”

“Normally, I do.” She replied. “But Bramble was called away for battle training. The medicine canine and apprentice don’t get much battle training, but he’s barely had any at all. So, I decided that it was about time that the young Absol take a course or two.”

“An Absol?” I asked, intrigued. “I don’t recall seeing any Absol when I was there.”

“That is because he is our first.” She told me. “I was out on a supply run, when I found him. Turns out that he reached the common age for the sons of his line to go out on their own, but he wasn’t too big on going solo. So, he came back with me, and became my apprentice.”

I nodded, saying, “Nice. Anyway, any idea where those berries are?”

“Sadly, no.” She informed me. “I had found a bush covered in them around here not too long ago, but I can’t seem to find it now.”

I turned to Sylva, asking, “Hey, Sylv, think you can expand your vision to find them?”

He shrugged, telling me, “Should be able to. Gimme a second.”

We waited a few moments, before Sylva suddenly moved, disappearing into the bushes to his right. He returned a few moments later, a branch covered in the aforementioned berries grasped in his hand.

“Got ‘em.” He said, laying them before the Ninetails. “Odd that they are so resistant to the cold and snow.”

She nodded to him, telling him, “Thank you, er-”

“Sylva.” I filled in. “And I’m Markus, if you forgot.”

She chuckled quietly, introducing herself, “Yang.”

I nodded to her, saying, “Nice to meet you-”

I cut off at the sound of approaching footsteps, turning towards the sound. Within a few moments, Rell stepped through the bushes, shaking his head slightly, knocking off a thin dusting of snow.

“There you guys are.” He said, spotting us. “Markus, I fucking texted you twice. Dinner’s ready.”

Before I could respond, he noticed Yang sitting near us, her eyes wide.

“Oh.” He spoke awkwardly. “Um, hello. I hadn’t noticed you. Sorry.”

She didn’t respond for a few moments, before visibly shaking herself, telling, “Oh. No, it’s fine. I was actually just leaving.” She grabbed the branch in her teeth, speaking around them, “Thank you for the help, boys. You’ve really made my job easier.”

With that, she left us quickly, disappearing into the shadows of the woods.

“Er, okay then.” Rell said, scratching the back of his head.

* * *

  **P.O.V Change: Yang**

I slowed down some as the Morphs’ voices faded away, allowing my thoughts to return. I assume that that is Rell, based on what I’ve heard. But why does he smell like that? Why does he smell like… Like her?

 

 


	18. It's Killing Him

** It's Killing Him **

“Arceus, there’s nothing to fucking do.” I sighed out, throwing the small Aura Sphere between my two hands.

“Is there ever really anything to do?” Sylva asked me, dropping down next to me at the foot of the tree, knocking snow into the air.

“Not really.” I told him. “Izaak getting her sorta jumpstarted the place, though. Then you came, and it got even more exciting. But now…” I trailed off, before finishing, “But now it’s just so boring here. I mean, Izaak really knows how to make things fun, but with how he’s been acting recently, he’s barely left the room, let alone hung out with any of us.”

“Yeah.” The Umbreon agreed. “I’m really starting to worry about him.”

I let out an exasperated sigh, saying, “Yep. Think that it’s about time that we tell April?”

“Are you kidding me?” Sylva asked, recoiling from me. “That’s insane! He would literally kill us!”

I threw my hand up, telling him, “Alright, calm down. You aren’t wrong, I guess. But we need to make a pact though, man. If he isn’t better by Valentine’s Day, we tell her. Both of us. Deal?”

My companion hesitated for a moment, before sighing, agreeing, “Okay. If he isn’t back to his old self in a week, then we tell her.”

“Good.” I said, nodding. After a few more moments, I dissipated the Sphere and got to my feet, saying, “Well, no point in just sitting here. Let’s go explore.”

“Explore?” Sylva asked me, joining me. “Is there really anywhere to explore? I feel like you guys have already found everything possible around here.”

I sorta half shrugged, telling him, “Maybe. Who knows. The world holds so much to find, even right in your backyard. And, well, the forest is our backyard.” I flipped my jacket hood up, adding, “Besides, all else fails, we can go penny board.”

“Penny board?” The Umbreon asked me.

“Yeah.” I replied. “Never heard of them before?”

He let out a sigh, saying, “Markus, I don’t know what I’ve heard of anymore. Comes with the memory loss.”

“Right.” I agreed awkwardly. “Forgot. Anyway, a penny board is a cross between a longboard and a skate board. They’re essentially plastic longboards on wheels.”

“Doubt that I’d be any good on one, really.” He told me. “Don’t have the best of balance.”

“Nonsense.” I urged him. “You’d be fine.” I thought for a second, before adding, “And to prove it, we’ll go ahead and go grab them.” I started through the woods, heading for the town, throwing over my shoulder, “C’mon!”

Sylva quickly caught up with me, asking, “Why are we going this way? The house is the other way.”

“Because they aren’t at the house.” I explained. “Y’see, they have to be ridden on paved ground, such as the streets of Cyleton. So, obviously, I decided to use that to my advantage. But, April caught me. And she was sorta pissed. Kept telling me that I could have gotten caught, and that it could have been disasterous. So, she to all of my boards from me. But, she lets me go out on them if I wear the Zoroark skin gear and bring Ash with me. So, y’know, it was an alright compromise.”

“You have to have Ash supervise you?” My friend asked me. “Seems like it’d be sorta boring.”

“Nope.” I replied. “You haven’t really spent enough time with him to see it, but Ash is actually a really cool guy. He’s sort of like Izaak, once you get to know him. He just likes to hide it. Personally, I think that being the main team member with someone that was going for the badges caused it. He had to always look strong to intimidate his opponents, so it stuck with him.”

“Well, it does fit that he would be similar to Izaak.” Sylva pointed out. “After all, they were childhood friends. If you think about it, most of his actual life was spent with Ash as his only friend. Being in a test tube doesn’t really count as being alive, in my eyes.”

I chuckled, replying, “Does anything count for something, in your eyes?”

“In my mind, then.” He scoffed at me. “Arceus, it’s a phrase, man.”

“I know.” I told him, quickly covering my tracks. “Just making a joke, is all. Didn’t mean to offend you.”

The Umbreon sighed, saying, “You didn’t, don’t worry. Sorry for how I reacted. It’s just that, y’know, I’m sensitive about that shit, for lack of a better way of phrasing it. It just… Makes me abnormal. And I hate it.”

I fell back to walk next to Sylva, throwing my arm around my friend comfortingly, telling him, “Dude, you shouldn’t hate what makes you different. It’s what makes you who you are. Hell, look at Izaak. That motherfucker is split right down the middle with what he is.”

My friend sighed, saying, “Markus, I can shoot fire from my hands. I’m pretty odd.”

“And?” I asked him. “So what? That just makes you even more badass. Besides, that’s already helped us. Don’t act like I’m wrong.”

Sylva was silent after that, the only sound that we created being our footsteps, before he chuckled lightly, replying, “Yeah, I guess. I’m still not exactly happy with being how I am. But, I guess that I should accept it.” He sighed again, shaking his head lightly, adding, “C’mon, let’s go. The quicker we get to April’s house, the sooner I get to eat pavement.”

I chuckled, countering, “You will not. I’ll make sure of it.”

* * *

Sylva and I sat down on the branch, the limb shaking slightly as we positioned ourselves.

“Told you that you wouldn’t do shitty.” I told the Umbreon.

“I guess.” He agreed, shrugging. “Very surprised that I didn’t fall at all.”

“I knew that you’d do well.” I said, watching the sun go down behind the trees. “You just have to have faith.”

“I guess.” He replied, nodding slightly. We were silent for a few moments, before the Umbreon chuckled, before saying, “Y’know, sometimes I dream about what would have happened had I stayed a human. Living a normal life. Having a nice, loving family. A mother and father to wake up and see every morning.  I don’t know anything about me being a human, but I imagine that I had a nice family. I feel like I did.” He sighed, shaking his head, telling me, “Not like it matters. All of that is gone, whether it was true or not.”

I hesitated a moment, before asking, “Well… When you have these dreams… What do you think about them? H-How do you feel when you wake up?”

He let out another sigh, replying, “In all honesty, had you asked me a week or so ago, I wouldn’t know. I mean, the thought of having a true family, a normal family, is just so tempting. To be able to grow up as a human kid. To be able to go to school. To not have to hide away from the world. Being able to not only know who my family is, but see them too.”

He stopped then, and I felt my ears droop in sadness. He’d rather be normal. He hate his life.

“However,” Sylva spoke, interrupting my thoughts, “that was then. Now, though… Now, I see that I do have a family, albeit odd as hell. I mean, Rell’s father is like our dad. April is sorta a mother, as odd as that sounds. And we’re all siblings.” He took a deep breath, adding, “And Izaak is our most troubled sibling. He’s our messed up older brother. He looks after us, treats us like we’re his kids. Protects us with his life. Hell, he’d probably give his life to keep any of us alive. But he’s fighting his own fight, one that, as much as we want to, we can’t help. He’s on his own.” The Umbreon sighed, continuing, “He has night terrors, you know. That’s why he sleeps downstairs most nights. He doesn’t want to wake Azura. He’ll wake up, wide eyed and scared. Start freaking out, muttering to himself, almost shouting. Only for a few seconds, though, then he knows where he is. He knows that nothing is wrong.”

“D-Do you know what he’s scared about?” I asked, rather frightened. “Is he scared for his life?”

“No.” I replied, shaking my head. “Not his life. Ours. He’s always saying one of our names. Never his. Commonly Azura’s and Eve’s, but he’s said all of ours. Sometimes pleadingly, as if he’s begging for us to be there, to be okay. He’s even checked, a few times. Rushed upstairs and looked into our rooms, making sure that we’re fine.” He sighed, holding his head in his hands, a lost tone taking over his voice as Sylva told me, “I don’t know what’s going on with him, but it’s killing him. Slowly, but surely, he’s deteriorating. And I don’t know how much longer he can go on.”


	19. Gone

**Quick note. Italicized shit doesn't carry over, and I'm lazy. So, sorry, but the thoughts aren't in italics. Not like people read my stuff here, though. Whatever.**

* * *

 

** Gone **

I rose from the bed, shaking my head lightly. Arceus, I’m fucking tired. I checked the time on my phone, growling lowly at the sight. Fucking seven. Time that we actually go. I promised her that we’d do something back at Christmas, and I won’t let this bullshit depression stop it. I quickly got to my feet, before donning my boots and leaving the room. I stepped across to Rell’s door, sending a quick knock on the wood.

There was short pause, before I heard, “It’s open.”

I slowly pushed the door open, sliding myself into the room. Upon closing the door and looking up, I froze upon seeing that not only Rell sat before me, but Midnight, Markus, and Alice had joined him, and all of their eyes were locked onto me.

“Er, hello.” I awkwardly spoke, waving slightly. “I’ve come for the stuff that I had Rell store in here.”

“We know.” Markus said solemnly.

Midnight lightly elbowed him, scolding, “Lighten up a little, babe. We’re talking to him, not punishing him.”

Markus rolled his eyes, and I asked, “What are you talking to me about? What’s up?”

“We need to talk about how you’ve been acting recently.” Rell told me. “You haven’t been yourself, man. Always shut up in your room, not sleeping much, and barely eating.”

“And it’s showing, Izaak.” Alice added. “You’re damn near bone thin, whenever we do see you outside of your room, you’re dragging your feet and almost collapsing from exhaustion. We’re worried about you.”

I let out a small sigh, replying, “I’m fine. Trust me.”

“You haven’t seemed like it.” Rell pressed. “What the hell has been going on with you?”

“Nothing.” I lied. “Just been dealing with some things.”

“What type of things?” Midnight asked me. “Because whatever they are, they’re fucking with you, and it’s starting to hurt Azura.”

I jolted slightly at her words, freezing. I-It’s affecting Az? Shit!

“I-I hadn’t realized that I was hurting her so much.” I told them, my eyes on the floor. I raised my head, adding, “But I’m feeling better now. I’m alright now.”

“You sure?” Alice asked me, the skepticism clear in her voice, as she raised an eyebrow to me. “Because none of us have seen any indication of it.”

“I am.” I assured them, attempting to sound as convincing as possible. “Trust me, guys.”

The group hesitated, all of them scanning both my eyes, and each others, before Rell slowly replied, “Alright then.” He reached under his bed and pulled out two duffel bags, saying, “Here’s your stuff then. Have fun.”

I nodded, taking the bags. I quickly left the room, attempting to avoid any further questions. I let out a small sigh of relief, starting down the hallway. Arceus, I can’t believe that they’ve been able to notice it that much. I mean… I’m sorta better, as of now. He hasn’t been too vocal in a while, so there is that. Maybe… Maybe I could find a way to control him. To be myself again. To not live in fear of what that fucking asshole will do to them.  I shook the thoughts from my head as I reached the stairs. I’ll burn that bridge later. Right now, I need to focus on making this Valentine’s Day amazing for Az. To apologize for how shitty I’ve been. I made my way down the stairs, before turning into the living room, where Azura was watching TV with Sylva and Eve. Instead of announcing myself, I snuck up behind Azura, gently dropping the bags on the floor. I silently reached over the back of the couch, wrapping my arm around my fiance, just below her breasts, simultaneously bending my head down and locking my lips with hers. The Glaceon jumped slightly at first, but she quickly melted into the surprise embrace, returning the kiss. After a few seconds, I heard a chuckle next to me, causing me to break away.

I glanced over at the amused Umbreon, asking, “Find something funny?”

“Not necessarily.” He replied, smirking. “Just nice to see you cheered the fuck up. No one likes a mopey freak of a Pokemorph.”

I chuckled, agreeing, “True, I guess.” I turned my attention back to Azura, telling her, “C’mon. We should get going.”

“Get going?” She asked me, laying her head on my arm, nuzzling up to my limb. “Where to?”

“It’s Valentine’s Day.”I informed her. “And I promised you a surprise back around Christmas.”

“Oh.” Azura said. “That.” I raised my eyebrow, as she continued, “Izaak, we don’t have to do anything special. We can just stay home and relax. I’m just happy to have you back to you.”

“As am I.” I agreed. “But, that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to follow through with my promise. So, let’s go.”

The Glaceon let out a sigh, rising from the couch, replying, “Fine. Should I grab anything before we go?”

“Nope.” I replied, holding up the bags. “Got all that we need right here.”

An interested look crossed my fiance’s face, as she nodded, saying, “Alright. We’re going now?”

I nodded, as she came around to join me.

I wrapped my arm around Azura’s shoulder, pulling her close to me, as I told Sylva and Eve, “See you guys on Monday.”

“We’ll be gone all weekend?” Azura asked me, confused.

“Yeah.” I replied, nodding. “Don’t worry about any chores, or anything. Already covered everything with the others. We’re good.”

“Awesome.” She said, a smile spreading across her face. “Lead the way.”

I nodded, leading us out of the living room and subsequently out of the house. We started out towards the location, walking through the light snow.

“Weather is warming up more.” Azura commented. “Won’t be too long before it’s raining, rather than snowing.”

“Yep.” I agreed, leading us through the trees. “Be sad to see the snow go, but Eve will appreciate it.”

“Eve hates the winter?” The Glaceon asked me.

“Oh, hell yeah.” I replied, chuckling. “Always has. Don’t fully know if it changed with her evolution, though. The added body heat may have affected her opinion.”

Azura shrugged, agreeing, “Maybe. Anyway, where are we going? And what’s in the bags?”

“Don’t worry about that.” I told her. “A surprise isn’t a surprise if you know about it, now is it?”

She rolled her eyes, saying, “I guess not. I’m just so excited.”

I chuckled, replying, “Well, I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed. I’ve had this planned for a while.” I let out another chuckle, this one coming out very awkwardly, as my head turned to the ground, as I added “At least, I hope you enjoy it. This would all sort of be a waste of time if you end up hating it.”

I felt a quick peck on my cheek, before Azura told me, “I’ll enjoy it. As long as I’m with you, I’m enjoying myself. Especially now that you’re back to normal.” She hesitated a moment, before asking, “What was with that, by the way? I’m not trying to pry, or resurface any bad thoughts, but what got into you?”

I let out a small sigh, replying simply, “Some shit from my past came back to me. When I was younger, mistakes were made, not all of them mine, and they sorta held some lasting effects. But, that’s all behind me now. Especially for this weekend. For the next three days, the only thing on my mind will be you.” I leaned over to nibble Azura’s ear, adding in a whisper, “Of course, I don’t expect the only thing of mine that you’re on to be my mind.”

She gasped at my sudden action, my teeth grazing over her weak spot, before lightly giggling out, “Oh, I can’t wait. It’s been too long since we’ve had some fun.”

“Yes, it has.” I agreed, lightly squeezing her breast, causing her to melt against me. I chuckled quietly, asking, “Sensitive today?”

“You know that I’m weak to that.” She scolded me. “Besides, when I say that it’s been a while since we had fun, I mean that it’s been a while since I’ve had a release.”

“Really?” I asked, shocked. My eyes returned to my feet, as I quietly told her, “I mean, you could have asked me, and I could have helped. Or you could have done it yourself.”

“I don’t enjoy it as much alone.” She said. “And I could tell that you didn’t want to do it, and I wasn’t about to force you into doing anything that you didn’t want to. Something like that never overtakes your health, mental or physical. You’re the most important person to me.”

I smiled at her, kissing her nose, replying, “And you’re far more important to me than anyone else could ever be.”

She moved even closer to me, as we continued walking. It didn’t take much longer for us to reach our destination. I parted the leafless branches, letting Azura lead the way into the small clearing.

“And this is the place.” I told her, as she let out a gasp of shock.

We stood in a somewhat small, yet beautiful clearing. The ground remained covered in snow, with the lack of nearby trees causing the snow to glimmer in the moonlight. In the center of the clearing rests a small pond, fed by a small stream, the moon reflecting in the water.

“Izaak!” Azura gasped out. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Yep.” I agreed, leading her over to a spot next to the pond. I dropped the bags on the ground, saying, “And this is where we’ll spend the weekend.”

The Glaceon looked at me, intrigued and confused, as I unzipped one of the bags, pulling out a tent. I quickly set our shelter up, only taking a matter of minutes.

When I was finished, I stepped back, saying, “Here we are. Our home for the next few days.”

“We-We’re camping?” Azura asked me timidly.

“Yep.” I replied with a smile. “You told me that you’ve never been, so I decided that it could be a nice way to spend Valentine’s Day.” I froze for a moment upon seeing her blank face, before quietly adding, “I mean, if you don’t like it, we don’t have to do it. W-We can go back home, if you-”

I was cut off by a flying Glaceon tackling me, almost knocking me off my feet. I barely caught her, and she wrapped her legs around my waist, locking me in a kiss. Taking her action as the reassurance that she likes it, I tapped my tongue on her teeth, requesting entrance. She allowed me in, and my tongue slithered in and wrapped around her’s, as my hands slid down to her ass. I squeezed the handfuls of meaty Glaceon ass, eliciting a moan from my fiance. Without breaking our embrace, I managed to get on my knees and enter the tent, laying Azura on her back. I pulled back from the kiss, only to quickly tear off the Glaceon’s shirt, damn near ripping the fabric, exposing her now bare breasts, allowing the large orbs to bounce free, her nipples hard in the cold air.

I growled deeply, listening to Azura’s lusty pants, as I leaned over to her ear, lowly telling her, “I’m not letting you sleep tonight. And you’ll be raw in the morning.”

* * *

  **P.O.V Change: Azura**

I stepped out of the tent, stretching my arms out above me. I winced at the sudden rush of cold air to my abused nipples, the hard nubs throbbing from the night before. Arceus, Izaak had a fucking field day. I didn’t even know that he could do something like that! Have to admit, though, having all three holes filled in one night was fucking nice. Especially since it was multiple times. And I came at least fifteen fucking times. I chuckled at my thoughts, realizing just how lewd I was being. Meh, he does that to me. He’s so fucking amazing at what he does. My thoughts were interrupted by a cough, causing me to become aware of just how dry my mouth and throat truly are. Damn. Probably need to fix that. I started to the pond, freezing after only a step or two. I should put on a shirt. Nah. I’m just getting a drink. Besides, my nipples are so fucking sore. I took another step to the water, wincing in discomfort as my skinny jeans rubbed against my abused slit.

I chuckled quietly, commenting, “Well, he wasn’t lying, that’s for sure. He makes a promise, and he fucking keeps it.”

I went over to the pond, dropping down to drink. When I had my fill of water, I returned to the tent. I peered inside, only to see that the Umbreon/Absol Morph that is my future husband hadn’t awoken. Maybe I could go for a walk while I wait for him to get up. Then, when I get back, maybe we can have a little more fun. I’m sure he’ll be up for it. I reached into the tent, grabbing a shirt from one of the bags. I slipped it on, only to realize that it was one of Izaak’s Crown the Empire shirts. I simply shrugged, deciding to keep it on. Like this is the first time that I’ve worn his stuff. I probably wear his clothes more than my own. I slipped my phone into my pocket, before starting into the woods, mentally mapping out where I went to find my way back. After about ten minutes of walking, I began feeling a burning feeling on the back of my neck, as if I was being watched. I simply shrugged it off, continuing to wander around. After another few minutes, I became more conscious of the feeling, causing me to freeze.

“I-Izaak?” I asked, looking around me. “Is that you?” There was no reply, so I repeated, “Izaak? If that’s you, you can come out.”

This time, the reply came as the sound movement in the early morning shadows around me, sending a chill down my spine.

“I-Izaak?” I questioned a third time, my blood starting to chill in fear. “Please, Izaak, if that’s you, please come out. You’re starting to scare me.”

This time, when I was answered, it was in the form of a sharp, hard hit on the back of my head, knocking me unconscious.

* * *

  **P.O.V Change: Izaak**

I stepped out of the tent, finishing doing up the button on my jeans. Odd. Az isn’t out here, either. Where could she have gone? Deciding not to worry, I stepped into the woods, searching for the Glaceon. I returned about ten minutes later, worry starting to build in my chest. _D-Don’t panic, Izaak. Just call her. I’m sure she just went walking, and lost track of time. Just call her. I’m sure she’ll answer_. I pulled my phone from my pocket, trying to remain calm despite the images playing in my mind. I quickly called Azura, holding my breath. However, I felt that held breath catch in my throat when the call went unanswered. _No! No, no, no, no!_ I quickly dialed her again, only to be met with the same result. So I called again, and again, and again, calling her repeatedly for ten or so minutes, each time being met with the same fucking response, the cutesy little couple voicemail message that we had recorded together, one that both of our phones had. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck fuck! My panic starting to take me over, I dashed into the woods, calling Azura constantly as I ran wildly, frantically searching for my lost fiance. After twenty minutes, I finally heard her ringtone, Andy Biersack’s voice softly coming from a location nearby. I started for the area, ringing the Glaceon’s phone each time I met the voicemail. I eventually reached where it was the loudest, and I felt my blood run cold as I saw that no one was there, and the snow that had fallen while I was asleep had covered all tracks. I called one last time, finally locating the phone. I dashed to the base of a tree, frantically digging through the snow. I grasped the ringing phone, my hand closing around the black electronic as I pulled it up. I looked at the screen, seeing the cracked glass over the background of us sitting in front of the moonlight.

“No!” I shouted aloud, feeling tears start to flow down my cheeks. “No! No! Fucking no! No, no, no, no, fucking no, Arceus fucking damn it! No!”

My shouts were interrupted by a menacing voice cackling in my mind, followed by, “Happy Valentine’s Day, freak.”

 

 


	20. Hopeless

** Hopeless **

I slid back into the house, my head down and feet dragging against the floor. Upon my small party of five’s entrance, there was a rush of feet, followed by the arrival of Midnight and Sylva. I looked up at Midnight’s eyes, looking directly into her hopeful gaze, only to be forced to shake my head slowly and solemnly. I moved to stand before Midnight, pulling Azura’s phone from my pocket.

I slid the black phone from my hand and into the Espeon’s, quietly muttering, “I’m sorry.”

“I-Izaak?” She asked me timidly. “What are you sorry about?”

“I couldn’t protect her.” I replied, my eyes on the floor. “I failed you. And now she’s gone.”

I felt the Espeon wrap her arms around me in a hug, but I barely noticed, as she told me, “Izaak, don’t be sorry. It isn’t your fault. No one could have predicted this.” As she spoke, her voice began cracking, but she tried to remain strong as she continued, “We didn’t know this would happen, but I’m sure that if you had, you would have done anything to hang onto her.” She paused for a moment, before adding, “Besides, Az is your fiance. She isn’t just my sister.”

I sighed, replying, “No, but she was, and is, your sister first. I said that I’d always keep her safe, and I failed. I’m fucking useless.”

“No you aren’t.” She assured me, hugging me tighter. “Izaak, don’t beat yourself up about this. We’ll get her back. You guys can still have the dream wedding that I know that you two have been planning.”

“No we won’t.” I said, causing a few members of the house to gasp. “Trust me, she’s important to me. Therefore, I’ll never fucking see her again. She’s gone forever.”

“Don’t say that, Izaak!” Alice scolded me. “We will get her back. We won’t let someone take part of family away from us.”

“It won’t work.” I replied, breaking free from Midnight’s embrace, and turning to face the Ninetails. “You don’t seem to understand that that’s how my life works.” I took a deep breath, before sighing dejectedly, finishing, “You’d probably be better off if all of you stay away from me before you’re all hurt, as well.”

I pushed past Midnight, choosing not to wait for a response. I made my way up the stairs slowly, feeling the others’ eyes burning into my back as I went, but no one said a word.

As I turned down the hall, I shouted back at my housemates, “I’m going to sleep! If you need anything, wake me, I guess. I don’t care.”

* * *

  **P.O.V Change: Markus**

I let out a deep sigh, watching the top of the stairs. Wordlessly, we all moved into the living room, the fire types taking the chairs, while myself, Sylva, and Midnight took the couch, the Espeon resting her head on my side as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

“Fuck.” Rell remarked, drooping over, his head between his legs.

“What do we do?” Alice asked us, looking over the room.

“What can we do, man?” The Arcanine replied. “She… She’s fucking gone! No fucking trace. Alice, Markus, you guys saw it. The fresh snow wiped all tracks.”

“Maybe if I had gone, it could have helped.” Eve suggested. “After all, I have a better sense of smell than you guys.”

“Doubt it.” I told her. “Rell and I couldn’t even find even a trace of scent, and we’re fucking dogs, for Arceus’s sake.”

We sat in silence for a moment, before Rell spoke, “Midnight, I’m sorry. This can’t be easy on you.”

The Espeon let out a small sigh, her eyes drifting to the floor, as she replied, “No, it’s not. I can’t stand knowing that my sister is out there somewhere, kidnapped and injured, if not worse. I hate the knowledge that the only person who kept me safe, warm, and relatively full while we were on the streets is out there, alone and scared. All I want to do right now is curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep.” She sighed again, looking up with a hurt, yet steely gaze in her eyes, as she continued, “But I can’t. I’m not allowed. I’m too worried. I’m worried about Azura, yes, but, as bad as it may sound, I’m more worried about Izaak. With how he was recently, I assumed that he has past experiences with depression, and this is hitting him like a ton of bricks. I’m worried about what he’ll do now that she’s gone.”

I sighed as well, agreeing, “Yeah. We need to keep a close eye on him.” I kissed the top of Midnight’s head, telling her, “But you don’t have to hide how you feel, love. We won’t judge you.”

She moved closer to me, as Rell got up from his seat, saying, “I guess that I’ll go call April. Tell her the situation, and ask her to keep an eye out.”

I nodded in agreement, as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

As he started past the couch, I felt Sylva tense up to my left, prompting to ask, “Sylva, something up?”

“I-It’s Izaak.” He stuttered out, his body rigid. “He-He’s not sleeping.”

“What’s he doing?” Rell asked, the urgency clear in his voice, as we all shot to look at the Umbreon. “Do I need to go get him?”

“I-I don’t know.” Sylva replied, the child-like Morph fighting back his panic. “Just… Just promise to do what I say? Tonight, when he’s asleep, go into his room. Find all of his knives, or anything like that in his room.”

“W-What?” Midnight asked. “His-”

She was cut off, as Sylva almost shouted, his voice raising in pitch, “Just please do this. Don’t… Don’t let him continue. Tonight, take them all. Hide them.”

I shot my head around, looking at Rell, whose eyes were as wide had to have been. We looked at each other, the panic in our eyes showing that we understood what he meant.

* * *

  **P.O.V Change: Azura**

I slowly blinked myself awake, a throbbing pain shooting through the back of my head. What the hell? I groggily looked around, my vision becoming somewhat clearer, only to be both shocked and frightened by my surroundings, the four high concrete walls of some abandoned factory greeting me. Scared, I quickly tried to move, only to find that my arms were chained behind my back, and my feet to the floor. I panicked, shaking my limbs wildly in a mad attempt to break free, attempting to shout through the cloth gag that covered my mouth. No! Where am I? Izaak! Help! I stop struggling as a door in the wall across from me slowly opens, sending mixed feelings of hopefulness and fear through me.

“Oh, will you shut yer whore mouth?” A voice shouted from the doorway, as the door finished opening. “Yer not gettin outta here anyways, girly. No need to make such a ruckus!”

I froze, as a figure stepped into the room. The man’s short, ragged body entered the room, his torn white shirt, yellowed by age and who the hell knows what, and ripped blue jeans revealing some of sun browned flesh, especially his beer gut, which was no doubt created by the same cheap beer that he held in his hand.

“Gods, yer fuckin annoyin!” He slurred out, stepping into the room, stumped over slightly. “I were sleepin over there, you know!”

He drunkenly shambled over to me, a stench of cheap booze and tobacco smoke coming with him. He stopped just before me, his gaze falling on me.

He let out a small cackle, telling me, “Maybe I should punish you. Show you just why yer here.” He bent down to me, pulling a knife from his pocket and placing it on my stomach, as he continued, “Though, I were hopin that you could already guess.” I gasped through the cloth as he pierced the cloth of my shirt with the blade, starting to slowly cut the fabric apart, saying, “Oh, but I bet you know now, slut. I’ve been quite lonely for a while now. Nice to finally have someone here. Last one got a little too feisty for my likings, so I went and had to dispose of her.” He finished slicing through Izaak’s shirt, causing it to fall off of my body, revealing my ample chest, as he leaned to my ear, whispering out, “I just hope that yer a much better fuck toy than that little slut. Shame that all I like is Morphs. You cunts are so rare and dangerous. But, of course, knives like this little baby helps keep ya’ll in check.”

I whimpered quietly, as he pulled back, a wicked grin spreading across his mouth, revealing his severely lacking tooth count.

“Oh, but don’t you worry, little girly.” He snickered out, leaning down to me. “I don’t want none of yer pussy, or nuttin.” I backed away from him, hitting the wall, as he told me, “That shit don’t get me no more. I fuckin love the mouth, though.” He placed a finger on my cheek, tracing it around my mouth, leaving a disgusting feeling on my fur as he continued, “It’s just so nice and warm. The soft tongue. The feeling of your teeth scraping against me, knowing that you bite, and you fuckin die. Just love to see the fear in their eyes.”

I whimpered in fear, causing him to recoil, laughing loudly.

“Oh, such a good little whore. Already scared.” He cackled out, watching me. He reached down to the zipper on his pants, telling me, “Now, let’s get you breaked in.”

 


End file.
